Birthing Pains

In the book of Galatians Paul speaks briefly about how mentoring and discipling is a bit like child birth. It can be a long, painful, and exhausting process. I feel like that some times. You love these people so much and you want them to know new life in Jesus, but getting them to that point requires labor. Giving birth to my children was obviously the most rigorous and difficult experience of my life (especially Kent), but I don't regret the process because it brought forth something beautiful. I don't even look back on the birthing experience and think about negative things (okay, I'm lying now). Mostly, I look back and think about the glorious sight of the new life that was birthed because of my hard work. In a ministerial sense, I am some times exhausted by "birthing" disciples and followers of Christ, but I know how glorious it is when you see one of those "children" breathe the first breath of their spiritual life. 1 Corinthians 15:58 says, "Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, for you know that your labor is not in vain". The work, the time, the effort, the energy, the prayers, and the labor is all worth it. Paul knew the work, but was driven by the beauty of giving birth to these disciples in Galatia and I want to be a fellow laborer for that same gospel.