Pregnant

“Mom, Dad… I’m pregnant.”

“Wonderful sweetie! When did you find out?”

Honestly, when you read that first line, and not having read the second line, what did you expect coming? A not so happy response? Why is that? When did the word “pregnant” start conjuring up images of angry faces and tears? When did the start of new life become something that is shunned?

The very image produced by the word “pregnant” has changed from blessing to shame. Why? Because we have stopped making marriage a priority? Casual sex? Or is it something more? Something like, a cascade of sin which is all made manifest through a single symptom? I believe that such is indeed the case.

It used to be that a man and a woman, united together with God in marriage (marriage is not a two way relationship. I strongly agree with Joshua Harris who feels that a marriage is most closely compared to a two person worship service for God), would decide to fulfill God’s first commandment to mankind: to procreate. That was when pregnancy conjured up pictures of new life, family and love. Now what does the word pregnancy make us think of?

Pregnancy now tends to make us think of the proverbial young girl, head bowed and hugging herself. She looks scared, as she has a right to be. A person whom she thought loved her (and perhaps whom she thought she loved) has abandoned her. She has something big to tell her parents, but isn’t sure if they will still love her, in light of the previous response of someone who “loved” her. She is pregnant.

I saw a sign once for teen counseling. It had a picture of that girl I just described, along with the caption, “Pregnant and scared?” Pregnant and scared? How has the word pregnant changed in meaning so much in such a short time?

Pregnancy has taken quite a hit from so many sins. Pregnancy used to mean new life, but as the major symptom for sins such as adultery, pre-marital sex and rape, it was bound to take on a darker meaning.

Some may think I’m taking this whole thing a little too far. After all, I am just wondering why a word’s meaning changed. But, I know how powerful a word can be.

God spoke the Universe into existence with words. Jesus is called The Word. Satan will be felled with one word.

Words allow mankind to bare their souls to each other. Without speech, we would be very focused on ourselves. To not be able to talk (and I don’t mean to simply be mute, I mean no speech, no sign language and no writing), would be horrible. Hugs can only do so much to convey the true inner workings of the heart.

So, what does my position on words have to do with my being upset and worried at the meaning change of the word pregnant? Words are the lifeblood of the connections we make in life. A society is defined by the relationships of those in it.

My point is this. If a word changes meaning, it implies a change in the way society views something. And any change towards the negative is a good indicator of a negative change in society (by a Biblical Christian worldview). Therefore, I know the change in meaning of the word pregnant shows in graphic detail the corruption of marriage, the rise of casual sex and an increase in rape.

Am I taking this whole thing too far? Or, have I not even scratched the surface?

Where are you?

He came into his bedroom, chest heaving for lack of breath, eyes red. He didn’t bother to put his book bag in its usual place in the corner; he threw it against the wall. He didn’t stop to change into causal clothes, he just slammed shut the door and threw himself on his bed. Laying there, on his back, his eyes starting to swell with tears, he went back in his mind through the day.

He walked into the cafeteria to get breakfast. His expectations for the day were high. He just knew it was going to be a good day. Getting his tray of food, he roamed around the cafeteria, looking for someone he knew to sit with. He saw his friends from back home, eating with some people he didn’t know. There were no extra seats.

He saw his roommate, eating with friends. There were no seats for him.

He saw a class mate, quickly gulping down a meal before class and rushing to finish a paper. The table was cluttered with work, and there was no room for him.

Finally, he spied someone from back home coming into the cafeteria. She took her time, getting her food, but he waited patiently, roaming. When she had her food, she set off to find a table, and he set off to join her. But, she sat down with a guy he didn’t know. There was no place there for him.

Dejected, he found a spot, and ate his meal, alone.

Tears ran down his face, as he lay on his bed. His eyes were red and his face was flushed. His chest heaved and he sobbed quietly, recalling what happened next.

He left the cafeteria and went to his class. After a lecture about nothing important, his professor asked for all students to turn in their homework. Looking into his book bag, he couldn’t find his book for the class, or the homework with it. Ashamed, he explained to the professor that he couldn’t find his assignment. The professor told him that he had to have it in by five that day, or it would be a zero.

He was upset. He had worked hard on that diagram, and for a long time. He couldn’t figure out where his book had gone to. Then, in the middle of his next class, he remembered. His roommate had borrowed his book that morning and must not have returned it.

Remembering this, he looked over to his roommate’s desk, and there was the book. But, it was six o’clock… Showing more on his face than that he was upset, he showed despair. He did not understand. Crying out loud now, he choked on the sorrow. So real was his despair, that he had trouble breathing. But, he had no trouble remembering what had happened next.

It was just five o’clock when he got the call. He was walking to see his professor and to explain that he could get the paper to him at six. As he walked, his cell phone rang. Slowly, he reached down and unclipped it from his belt. Putting it to his ear, he said into it, “Yeah?”. And then, he knew.

He stopped walking and dropped the phone onto the ground in front of him, body quivering. His arms shook as he stared ahead with a blank expression on his face, mouth open slightly. His knees buckled, but he managed to stay standing.

For a minute, he just stood there, not believing the things that were happening to him. And then, he picked up his phone. Putting it back onto his belt, he started walking back to his dorm.

His pace quickened. Jogging now, he shifted his book bag so that he could go even faster. Eyes red from holding back tears, his stride lengthened to the point where he was running. He fairly tore along the path to the dorm, barely keeping from falling down as he ran.

He sat up, and got out of bed. Stumbling over to the nearest wall, he beat it with his fist until it hurt. And then, he just fell against it, supporting himself on his arm. There, he sobbed some more. “Why?”

It had been his mother on the phone. His best friend from back home had died. He had been hit by a driver who hadn’t stopped for the police because he didn’t want a ticket. Now, his best friend was gone.

“Where are you God? I needed someone today. I needed You today! But, you never showed Yourself… You never show Yourself... Show Yourself!”

And then, God answered him. Not out loud so much, but more from within. From within the hurting heart of his, he heard God speak out.

“I already have.”

And then he knew. God had shown Himself already. God had already come to earth. Jesus, God as a man, had already shown Himself to the world. And He didn’t just come and show Himself. He came and choose to have nails pounded through His hands… He choose to let men, whom He had created, nail His body to some wooden boards. He let them hang Him on that cross, so that the blood flowed from the holes with the nails, and so that he slowly and painfully died. He let them kill Him, so that we could live forever with Him in paradise.

He knew that Jesus had died for him. And he knew that his friend had had Jesus with him when he died. He knew he would see his friend again. And knowing that didn’t take away his pain, but it helped. It helped enough so that he got up and went out of his room and found his friends, who were off praying for him. And he saw them, and how much that they really did care for him. And he knew that God loved him even more.

Dream on!

“Chase after your dreams”! So say many motivational speakers and the like. Forget about what may happen, could happen or might happen, and just go for it. Let go of all that holds you back, and grasp your dreams.

What a load of crock (pardon my Dutch)! I mean, sure, I have dreams. I mean sure, I even chased some of them. But after the Fall Bible Conference here at Cedarville, and after some thinking, my view has changed.

I used to believe that you should just go for it. Now, I don’t. And I have lots of reasons why. But mainly, I feel that I need to stop chasing my dreams, and let God bring them to me. I mean, sure I can imagine quite a lot of good things, but when I let go and just let God do the dreaming, He dreams things up for me that I never could have imagined, let alone received on my own power. When you let God lead your life, you’ve got an edge no one else has; an omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent guide with your best interests in mind. Do I think I could do better on my own? No way! I mess up enough as it is to try and live life my way.

Let me put it this way. I’m sure Abram had dreams of his own. But what happened? God came and told him that He had a better dream for Abram. Abram was to become a WHOLE nation!

Wow. That’s a dream I wouldn’t have dreamt. And what did Abram do? He left everything so that he could follow God, and God’s plan for his life.

But (and there is always a but when you’re dealing with impatient human beings), what eventually happened? Abraham (name change!) decided to realize the dream in his own way. You see, his wife Sarah could not have children (kinda hard to become a nation when you can’t have kids). And, even though Abraham knew God was in control, Abraham decided that his way was better. So, he decided to have children with his wife’s servant. What of that? Well, because he didn’t wait on God, we now have the Arab nations through that servant’s children.

Do you realize, that if Abraham had followed God’s plan and waited, 9/11 would not have happened? That there very well could be peace in the Middle East? With deviation from God’s plan come consequences.

Now, even though Abraham didn’t quite do as God told him, God still let Abraham’s dream (God’s planned dream for him) be realized.

So what does this mean? It means that I’m going to wait on God, and let God do my dreaming for me. Because if the Creator of the Universe has an idea for my life, it’s a sure bet that it will be far better than anything I could have thought up on my own.