Ugly Baby

Birth is a miracle of God... or so I'm told. I'm not sure what is so appealing to it. From what Discovery Channel has shown me about it, it doesn't look super exciting. I know I already covered this in December 2009's 12 Days of Christmas Series, Day 6. Maybe I didn't cover birth exclusively enough though. I mean, I would one day love to have children and would love to raise kids as my own, but only after I've seen the world and only after I've enjoyed my wife for a coupla years. Honestly, I love kids, I'm just glad I don't have to squirt one out one day. (Squirt- what a creepy word to use here, I'm sorry. What are humans toothpaste now?)

Fact is, the media in this world has portrayed birth as something I don't think it is. I mean, I've never seen an actual birth before. I've been a part of one, however I was the one being born, so I doubt that counts. Hollywood, to me, portrays birth in 30 minute intervals, edited for commercials and time. The puking and vomiting a woman experiences is edited out of the show and nobody has to see it. The weird cravings a woman gets during pregnancy are played off like a funny thing- I know somebody who wanted to eat nothing but pickles when they were pregnant, how crazy is that? Pickles and broccoli I think. Furthermore, the man in the show usually has some important and supportive role to play. To the best of my knowledge, a man's role during the birth is to a) not faint and b) cheer her on (aka shut up when she says shut

up, get out when she says get out, and respect that woman for what she's going through.). Like I said, I've never been an actual birth before, but that isn't what real birth is like- I know it ain't no cake walk.

Fact is the thing has gotta come out. That does not mean that it has to be fun though. One comedian likened it to shoving an uncooked, cornish game hen through a monocle. Carol Burnett once said, “Giving birth is like taking your lower lip and forcing it over your head.” Sorry for the creepy imagery, but birth is gross, and that's a fact. I give props to any lady who can survive labor pains. But have you ever encountered an ugly baby? I mean, they come out gross, but have you ever seen one that looks just as gross after it's been cleaned up? Yikes! That's a great way to enjoy an awkward evening with friends... "No, no, she's the cutest thing I've ever seen... he's the cutest... whatever...."

Isn't that like us, though? Whenever we start a new adventure, a new experience, a new life, we are wobbly and weird looking. We start out a complete mess. Sometimes, even after we are cleaned up a bit, we still look goofy. But after a while, that goofiness will go away. It will take some labor pains and some crazy moments of discomfort to get over that goofiness, but growing up and out of that stage is better than staying goofy looking our whole lives. Nobody wants to look like an ugly baby their whole lives. As for Christians, we must remember that we all start out as goofy looking babies in Jesus. Granted he makes us clean again, but there is still some goofiness we need to grow out of. In time, that will happen, but there are stages of life we must live through.

This week, may those of you who are older and wiser remember what it was like to look goofy when you started out and may that nostalgia inspire you to reach out to the "younger" guys. If you are starting out or just a few months or even a couple of years into it, may you keep growing and growing and get out of that goofy looking stage. Big plans are ahead, says in the Lord in Jeremiah 29:11. Plans to give you a future and hope. To love and not to hurt. So here is to looking like goofy kids when we start out. May we be humbled by our modest roots. And here's to crossing my fingers... I hope my kid is sexy!

KB