Today, I am 34 weeks and 4 days along in my first pregnancy. We are having a baby boy, and we have decided to name him Joshua Timothy.
Joshua -- because during our bible study class on books in the Old Testament, Jotham deeply admired the conviction and leadership of that man. Not only did he lead the Israelites into the promised land after Moses died, he also who went against the grain of how the Israelites thought and believed at that time. He in fact, he reminded them of the importance of obedience to the Lord, and is remembered for his immortal words, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15).
As for the second name, Timothy, well the reason is two-fold. One, is that Timothy was a faithful young man, a protege of Paul in the New Testament, who was as zealous and passionate as Paul in spreading the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The second reason is decidedly more secular in nature -- my husband (and me, consequently by his influence), is a big fan of thee NBA player Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs. In fact, the NBA play-offs and finals season -- where the Spurs won it all in such a spectacular fashion -- was during the early months of my pregnancy. And we watched every single game, until they beat the Miami Heat 4-1.
In any case, I am now well into my third trimester, and have started to count down the days until I can finally get to hold Joshua in my arms. Truth be told, this waiting time has been full of trepidation and anxiety.
Especially when I think about what labor entails. I watch one or two Youtbe videos and I am overwhelmed by fear at what is about to happen to me! I sometimes look at my giant tummy and think to myself, "What have I gotten myself into?"
It's true, we attended a birthing class which taught us breathing exercises, and educated us on everything from labor, to pregnancy drugs, to diaper changing, to breastfeeding. We were also asked to write out our birth plan.
Jotham and I, we are deciding to do it the hard way haha. Which means, a vaginal birth, with no epidural. People look at my 6-footer husband, and my slim 5 foot frame and shake their heads in disbelief. My sister-in-law even has a 100 HKD bet with her husband that I'll be undergoing CS, no matter what.
To be honest, with all the naysayers left and right, I felt even more compelled to deliver our baby naturally, without drugs or an operation. But I think that's just my pride swelling up.
Aside from Jotham, only one person actually gave me full support and encouragement that I could actually do this the normal way. And the way she framed her advise was from the perspective of God and the bible.
Kara Dexter is a Filipina married to an American, and they're both missionaries from John MacArthur's Grace Community Church in California. She had delivered her first baby Titus -- all eight pounds of him -- without an epidural. She just recently gave birth to her second son, Kenan Alexander, but this time, the Lord saw it fit that an epidural was needed.
Nevertheless, she wrote to me and gave such wonderful, biblical advise on my upcoming labor and delivery.
"God created your body to do this! Each of us may have different experiences and stories, but GOD IS SOVEREIGN and He already knows what exactly is going to happen during your labor and delivery. TRUST in HIM alone, not your OB, nor your own body to do it. Do not feel bad if you get the epidural or a Cesarean or any unpredicted outcome. God is perfect in all His ways and timing, and His grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Since you shared with me that you wanted a normal birth experience, oh I am with you sister and I will pray for you each step of the way! It has been one of the greatest, precious, and unforgettable moments of my life. Here's my advice to you to sum it all:
Take labor each step, one step, one breath, and minute at a time. Yes it will be painful, as stated in Genesis 3:16, but remember that every ounce of pain is a good pain because beautiful Joshua awaits at the other end!
When I was delivering Titus in 2012, I meditated on Philippians 2:3-4. I placed Titus' interest above my own. It was his birthday -- not my day. I was concentrating more on him, how he was doing than focusing on my own self, suffering and discomfort. Christ was our greatest example (verse 5)."
What a perspective! Even this labor and delivery thing, with so much focus on the pain and suffering of the mother, is not really about her! It's about God and his glory. And how wonderful that Christ gave the perfect example on the cross, CHOOSING to suffer, just thinking about the new birth that his act of sacrifice will make possible.
So Lord, whatever happens, may You be the one glorified in my birthing story.
"No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you." --Joshua 1: 5
Joshua -- because during our bible study class on books in the Old Testament, Jotham deeply admired the conviction and leadership of that man. Not only did he lead the Israelites into the promised land after Moses died, he also who went against the grain of how the Israelites thought and believed at that time. He in fact, he reminded them of the importance of obedience to the Lord, and is remembered for his immortal words, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15).
As for the second name, Timothy, well the reason is two-fold. One, is that Timothy was a faithful young man, a protege of Paul in the New Testament, who was as zealous and passionate as Paul in spreading the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The second reason is decidedly more secular in nature -- my husband (and me, consequently by his influence), is a big fan of thee NBA player Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs. In fact, the NBA play-offs and finals season -- where the Spurs won it all in such a spectacular fashion -- was during the early months of my pregnancy. And we watched every single game, until they beat the Miami Heat 4-1.
In any case, I am now well into my third trimester, and have started to count down the days until I can finally get to hold Joshua in my arms. Truth be told, this waiting time has been full of trepidation and anxiety.
Especially when I think about what labor entails. I watch one or two Youtbe videos and I am overwhelmed by fear at what is about to happen to me! I sometimes look at my giant tummy and think to myself, "What have I gotten myself into?"
It's true, we attended a birthing class which taught us breathing exercises, and educated us on everything from labor, to pregnancy drugs, to diaper changing, to breastfeeding. We were also asked to write out our birth plan.
Jotham and I, we are deciding to do it the hard way haha. Which means, a vaginal birth, with no epidural. People look at my 6-footer husband, and my slim 5 foot frame and shake their heads in disbelief. My sister-in-law even has a 100 HKD bet with her husband that I'll be undergoing CS, no matter what.
To be honest, with all the naysayers left and right, I felt even more compelled to deliver our baby naturally, without drugs or an operation. But I think that's just my pride swelling up.
Aside from Jotham, only one person actually gave me full support and encouragement that I could actually do this the normal way. And the way she framed her advise was from the perspective of God and the bible.
Kara Dexter is a Filipina married to an American, and they're both missionaries from John MacArthur's Grace Community Church in California. She had delivered her first baby Titus -- all eight pounds of him -- without an epidural. She just recently gave birth to her second son, Kenan Alexander, but this time, the Lord saw it fit that an epidural was needed.
Nevertheless, she wrote to me and gave such wonderful, biblical advise on my upcoming labor and delivery.
"God created your body to do this! Each of us may have different experiences and stories, but GOD IS SOVEREIGN and He already knows what exactly is going to happen during your labor and delivery. TRUST in HIM alone, not your OB, nor your own body to do it. Do not feel bad if you get the epidural or a Cesarean or any unpredicted outcome. God is perfect in all His ways and timing, and His grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Since you shared with me that you wanted a normal birth experience, oh I am with you sister and I will pray for you each step of the way! It has been one of the greatest, precious, and unforgettable moments of my life. Here's my advice to you to sum it all:
Take labor each step, one step, one breath, and minute at a time. Yes it will be painful, as stated in Genesis 3:16, but remember that every ounce of pain is a good pain because beautiful Joshua awaits at the other end!
When I was delivering Titus in 2012, I meditated on Philippians 2:3-4. I placed Titus' interest above my own. It was his birthday -- not my day. I was concentrating more on him, how he was doing than focusing on my own self, suffering and discomfort. Christ was our greatest example (verse 5)."
What a perspective! Even this labor and delivery thing, with so much focus on the pain and suffering of the mother, is not really about her! It's about God and his glory. And how wonderful that Christ gave the perfect example on the cross, CHOOSING to suffer, just thinking about the new birth that his act of sacrifice will make possible.
So Lord, whatever happens, may You be the one glorified in my birthing story.
"No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you." --Joshua 1: 5
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