Surf the Waves

I had the sweetest patient the other night.  She and her husband were a joy to be with.  Although she wouldn't be delivering on me, we had several talks about her upcoming labor the next day.  She wanted to go without an epidural and had never labored before.  That would be sort of like me wanting to do a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail when I have never camped before!

I talked to them both about what they could expect and what their various roles would be.  "If you are sitting in that recliner," I told the dad, "then you aren't doing a good job."

The main thing I told my patient was that she couldn't be passive with the contractions.  I told her how the contractions were like strong waves at the beach.  When in the fierce surf, you can't let the waves just through you around, you have to be active, you have to have a plan ahead of time.

I encouraged her that she could indeed meet her goal, but she would have to be ready to work with each contraction.  She needed to be prepared for it when it came and have a plan for how she was going to deal with them.

After I left work, I thought how that was so much like our Christian walk.  There will always be temptations, distractions and deceptions from the world, the flesh and the devil.  We cannot be passive as thoughs "fiery darts" come our way.  We must have a plan how we will deal with these when they occur.

The Lord Jesus used Scriptures when He was tempted, and this is a perfect pattern for us to follow.  Relying on the written word of God helps us to affirm what is true, what He has said is true.  It strengthens our own heart as we hear those words and it helps us identify the truth from those falsehoods our enemies through at us.