The fourth stage of childbearing: Joy

Joy in childbearing is a complicated idea. Sure, a miracle is budding, and you’re preparing for your family to grow, and life is as full as your figure. But pregnancy kinda sucks, too. It’s easy to let the everyday discomforts and even life-altering struggles overshadow the simple joy of having a baby.

But joy comes from something outside of ourselves. It’s a gift that reminds you there’s a bigger story unfolding, a loving God who knows you and speaks life into existence, and a peace that comes when you realize shit happens, but beautiful, amazing things do too (and you can’t really control any of it). Joy can’t be conjured up or staged or planted. Or explained, I think.

So here are some pictures in lieu of my attempt to explain joy. This is the first three months of our baby’s life, captured with my iPhone.

Read about the first stage of childbearing: Agreement.
Read about the second stage of childbearing: Peace.
Read about the third stage of childbearing: Adjusting.