3 Things Pregnancy Teaches About the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is mysterious, but He has made Himself more real to me in this pregnancy and I wanted to share it with you. Whether you are pregnant or not, I hope what He has been teaching me helps you understand Him better and how He is loving you in every detail of your own life!
1. The body is a temple
"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19
I treat my body better now that I have a baby inside. I make sure to walk so the baby gets oxygen, avoid raw foods, eat nutritious things, and listen to my cravings from a healthy standpoint. How much more does the Lord want us to treat ourselves when the Holy Spirit dwells within us?
I sometimes forget this heavenly reality (maybe because simply being a Christian doesn’t make me nauseous with extreme fatigue). This pregnancy helps to remind me that as I live in a way that nourishes this baby in my belly, I want to live to respect the presence of the Lord in my spirit.
And honestly, I’m not doing a whole lot compared to God. I’m providing a space for Him to create new life and abiding by the “do not eat sushi” rules, and He does all the creating and putting together. I love how when we submit to be a willing vessel, He can work wonders beyond our imagination!
2. Walking by faith
"Therefore we are always confident, although we know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight." -2 Corinthians 5:7
When I wrote this post, I was 18 weeks pregnant, and had yet to feel the baby move. Every morning I woke up and wondered if everything was going okay. When I went to the doctor appointment to get an ultrasound at the end of that week, I got to see my faith be made sight! Instead of staring at a thick wall of belly, I could see the a miracle moving inside there—the baby was not only thriving, but had a tiny complex 4-chambered fast-pumping heart and was even swallowing fluid with her little mouth. All that was going on inside my womb? It was still hard to believe.
The other astounding part of it all is that I didn’t do anything to orchestrate the growth of those little arms and legs. All I did was eat, sleep, and carry the load while God did His work of creating. If the physical realm is simply a shadow of heaven, it makes me wonder what kinds of things God is doing in the unseen places of life. This is a good reminder for when I feel like I’m simply being obedient but nothing big or extravagant seems to happen, to stay on course and have faith that God is working wonders within me, through me, and all around me.
3. God's Voice Grows As We Listen
"Once again, for the third time, the LORD called to Samuel. He got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” Then Eli realized that it was the LORD who was calling the boy.” 1 Samuel 3:9
When I first felt the baby kick around 19 weeks, I paused. Was that my stomach growling? Nope, I just ate. I waited for it again and…yes! It was in the same exact place. It felt like a tiny knock from the inside. Feeling the baby kick reminded me of how I am learning to hear the Lord speak to me:
I need to be still and quiet to notice it
I don’t recognize it right away
It’s steady and persistent, like someone knocking at the door
I know it’s not coming from me
It gets easier to recognize as the presence grows
When the Lord first called Samuel, He spoke to him three times. It was only the third time that Eli realized it was the Lord speaking, and from then on Samuel learned the voice of the Lord. It has taken me years to discern the voice of the Lord, but the more time I spend with Him, the stronger and more unmistakable it gets.
Rise
What does “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit” mean to you? Do you make daily decisions based on this truth?
Sometimes we can look back and realize God was working behind the scenes of our life all along. Can you remember a time He was doing something beyond your imagination? How does this add to your faith for the future?
How does God speak to you? It can be through creation, people, the Word, repetition, confirmation, etc. How do you recognize His voice?