Thursday, September 11, 2003
Just Sara and Me
I know this may seem a bit elementary to my Orthodox readers, but for me this is an issue to be learned again and again. This lesson played out for me in the labor and birth of Basil. As many of you know we had a home birth assisted by midwives. Prior to the “labor event”, Sara and I were deciding if we wanted anybody at the house to assist us in the first stage of labor before the midwives usually arrive. So, for a time we had decided it would be just the two of us till the midwives came for transition and second stage.
Having never been through birth or home birth, we figured we could go it alone, not based on experience but other factors. I mean realistically, birth is a natural process that a women’s body was designed to carry out. If we really break it down Sara and I may not even need the midwives. Animals in the wild don’t have any veterinarians on call, and there births seem to work out just fine.
Well, through a series of events we finally concluded Cybil (Basil’s Godmother/Chance’s wife/Our Friend) and Ruth (Choir director at St. Barnabas/Our Friend) would be “nice” to have around. Thursday evening around 6pm labor finally began. Cybil and Ruth were already with Sara, helping her to get comfortable, before I even got home. When I did arrive I found Sara calmly working her way through contractions.
All through the night Sara’s labor progressed slow and steady. It was a long and tough night and I remember coming to a point of where I said to Sara, “Honey, I’m so glad we have Cybil and Ruth here.’ I can’t imagine doing this without them!” I mean they were incredible! They took turns between various and sundry tasks that included, rubbing Sara’s back, legs, feet, saying the Jesus Prayer and at the same time making sure I was okay. They kept this up all the way until Sara finally delivered Basil at 8:31pm the next evening. Now, if that went in one ear and out the other STOP and think about this. With the exception of a nap or two these dear sisters stayed up with us for more than 24 hours straight. While many of you went to sleep, awoke and went to work, came home and prepared for sleep again, Sara was in labor and Cybil and Ruth were there for it all backing us up big time.
This situation drove home a very potent idea for me a former Protestant. The understanding that we do everything in community and that community includes the whole Church, Militant and Triumphant. In American Protestantism you find a deep-rooted individualism that says, “You only need Jesus”. As a Protestant I looked around at Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians and thought, “You don’t have to pray to a “saint”, you can pray directly to Jesus.” Or, “You don’t have to confess your sins to a priest, you can tell Jesus our High Priest.” Right, you don’t have to! For that matter you don’t have to go to church to find God. You can find Him backpacking or in your garage or if you stare at a stucco wall long enough you may even find Him there. In the same way that Sara and I didn’t have to have any help with our son’s birth. But it comes down to this, why wouldn’t we want help?
To think I went it alone on so many spiritual matters. All because I didn’t have to! I missed out on all of the great comfort and guidance that one much more knowledgeable and experienced has to offer. I’m not talking about 30 years or even 500 years of experience. The Church has faithfully passed on its wisdom and guidance from Christ to His Holy Apostles to their disciples for 2000 years.
I am SO thankful to be home in the Orthodox Church. I am SO thankful to know the comfort of its wisdom and guidance. In the long tough nights of my spiritual journey, I know the Church will be there guiding me through it. It isn't that I have to look to the Church, it's the fact that I can.
I know this may seem a bit elementary to my Orthodox readers, but for me this is an issue to be learned again and again. This lesson played out for me in the labor and birth of Basil. As many of you know we had a home birth assisted by midwives. Prior to the “labor event”, Sara and I were deciding if we wanted anybody at the house to assist us in the first stage of labor before the midwives usually arrive. So, for a time we had decided it would be just the two of us till the midwives came for transition and second stage.
Having never been through birth or home birth, we figured we could go it alone, not based on experience but other factors. I mean realistically, birth is a natural process that a women’s body was designed to carry out. If we really break it down Sara and I may not even need the midwives. Animals in the wild don’t have any veterinarians on call, and there births seem to work out just fine.
Well, through a series of events we finally concluded Cybil (Basil’s Godmother/Chance’s wife/Our Friend) and Ruth (Choir director at St. Barnabas/Our Friend) would be “nice” to have around. Thursday evening around 6pm labor finally began. Cybil and Ruth were already with Sara, helping her to get comfortable, before I even got home. When I did arrive I found Sara calmly working her way through contractions.
All through the night Sara’s labor progressed slow and steady. It was a long and tough night and I remember coming to a point of where I said to Sara, “Honey, I’m so glad we have Cybil and Ruth here.’ I can’t imagine doing this without them!” I mean they were incredible! They took turns between various and sundry tasks that included, rubbing Sara’s back, legs, feet, saying the Jesus Prayer and at the same time making sure I was okay. They kept this up all the way until Sara finally delivered Basil at 8:31pm the next evening. Now, if that went in one ear and out the other STOP and think about this. With the exception of a nap or two these dear sisters stayed up with us for more than 24 hours straight. While many of you went to sleep, awoke and went to work, came home and prepared for sleep again, Sara was in labor and Cybil and Ruth were there for it all backing us up big time.
This situation drove home a very potent idea for me a former Protestant. The understanding that we do everything in community and that community includes the whole Church, Militant and Triumphant. In American Protestantism you find a deep-rooted individualism that says, “You only need Jesus”. As a Protestant I looked around at Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians and thought, “You don’t have to pray to a “saint”, you can pray directly to Jesus.” Or, “You don’t have to confess your sins to a priest, you can tell Jesus our High Priest.” Right, you don’t have to! For that matter you don’t have to go to church to find God. You can find Him backpacking or in your garage or if you stare at a stucco wall long enough you may even find Him there. In the same way that Sara and I didn’t have to have any help with our son’s birth. But it comes down to this, why wouldn’t we want help?
To think I went it alone on so many spiritual matters. All because I didn’t have to! I missed out on all of the great comfort and guidance that one much more knowledgeable and experienced has to offer. I’m not talking about 30 years or even 500 years of experience. The Church has faithfully passed on its wisdom and guidance from Christ to His Holy Apostles to their disciples for 2000 years.
I am SO thankful to be home in the Orthodox Church. I am SO thankful to know the comfort of its wisdom and guidance. In the long tough nights of my spiritual journey, I know the Church will be there guiding me through it. It isn't that I have to look to the Church, it's the fact that I can.
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