How Birth & Motherhood Reflects the Gospel

Written By Natalie Portman

Hey there, beautiful mama! If you're reading this, chances are you're either expecting right now, navigating the beautiful chaos of motherhood, or maybe reflecting on your birth experience. I'm so glad you're here because I have something incredibly encouraging to share with you today.

As I was preparing for my first birth and especially after giving birth to my daughter Ellie, I realized there was something profound about how birth and the gospel were intertwined. The way my heart changed after becoming a mom opened my eyes to God's deep love for me in a way I had never experienced before. Today, I want to share these gospel parallels with you because I believe this truth will bless your heart and help you see God's incredible love in a fresh, tangible way.

🎧 Listen to the Episode

The Gospel: The Best News You Could Ever Hear

Before we dive into these beautiful parallels, let me share what I mean by "the gospel" because I want every mama reading this to understand this life-changing good news.

The gospel literally means "good news," and it truly is the best news you could ever hear. Here's the situation we're all in: God created us to be in perfect relationship with Him, but because of our sin—our rebellion, selfishness, and moral failures—we're separated from Him. The Bible tells us that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

But here's where the good news comes in. God loves us so much that He didn't leave us in that hopeless situation. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth. Jesus lived the perfect life we couldn't live, then willingly went to the cross and died in our place, taking the punishment our sins deserved. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead, proving He had conquered sin and death.

Now, anyone who believes in Him—who trusts that His death paid for their sins and His resurrection gives them new life—can be forgiven and have eternal life with God. This is the gospel: while we are more flawed than we'd ever dare imagine, we are simultaneously more loved and accepted in Christ than we could ever dare hope.

Pregnancy: Love Without Merit

From the moment you found out you were expecting, you felt this overwhelming love for your baby, didn't you? They hadn't done anything to earn it. If we're being honest, pregnancy probably made your life harder—morning sickness, exhaustion, your body changing. But despite all of that, you love this little person simply because they're yours.

This is exactly how God loves us. We haven't done anything to deserve His love. We can't earn it or merit it. Yet He loves us simply because we are His beloved children. First John 4:19 says "We love because He first loved us." That unconditional love you feel for your unborn baby? That's a shadow of how God feels about you.

Think about how you prepare during pregnancy—setting up the nursery, reading books, getting your heart ready. You're waiting and anticipating with excitement and maybe some nervousness. God's plan of salvation was prepared before the foundation of the world. Just like you're preparing a place for your baby, Jesus said "I go to prepare a place for you."

The Anticipation of Labor: Facing the Pain Ahead

As you get closer to your due date, you start thinking more about labor. Maybe you're excited, maybe you're nervous, maybe both. You know pain and struggle is coming, but you also know it has a purpose—meeting your baby.

This reminds me so much of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. He prayed "Father, if you are willing, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." Even Jesus in His flesh wanted to avoid pain. But He knew what was ahead—the joy of gaining His children.

Maybe you're thinking "I don't want to go through the pain of labor." That's so normal, mama. Even Jesus wrestled with that. But let Jesus' heart posture encourage you—He chose to embrace the pain because of the love and joy that would come from it.

Labor and Birth: The Ultimate Sacrifice

If you've given birth before, you know what I'm talking about. Birth is intense. It completely brings you to the end of yourself and your own strength. There are moments when you wonder how you're going to get through it!

Both birth and the cross involve intense suffering that leads to new life. Your labor pain isn't just something you have to endure. It's redemptive. It's necessary for the miracle that's about to happen. Just like the cross looked like defeat but was actually the ultimate victory, your most overwhelming moments in labor are actually ushering in new life.

You endure that physical and emotional sacrifice because of love. Love for someone you haven't even held yet. That's the same kind of love that drove Jesus to the cross—He sacrificed everything out of love for us.

The Beautiful Picture of Salvation

Here's something fascinating about labor—when it comes to delivery, you're doing all the work. You're laboring, you're pushing, you're enduring. And your baby? They are completely passive. They're not doing anything to bring themselves into the world.

This is such a powerful picture of our salvation. We are like that baby—completely passive in our own salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 says "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works." Just like you labor to bring your baby into the world, Jesus bore the weight of our sins and brought us into new life through His work alone.

For those who have had a cesarean birth, there's something particularly profound here. When you're on that operating table, your arms are stretched out—just like Jesus on the cross. There you are, in complete surrender, arms spread wide, as new life emerges. It's such a striking picture of the cross—surrender, sacrifice, and the birth of new life all happening at once.

The Newborn Phase: New Hearts for New Life

Here's something that just blows my mind—when your baby is born, their heart literally changes. The ductus arteriosus closes, blood flow redirects to their lungs, their entire circulation system restructures so they can function outside the womb. They need this completely transformed heart to survive in their new reality.

That's exactly what happens when we're born again spiritually. God gives us a new heart, like it says in Ezekiel 36:26. We need transformed hearts to thrive in our new life in Christ.

Think about your newborn baby—they're completely dependent on you for everything. Food, warmth, protection, comfort. That's a picture of our complete dependence on Christ for our spiritual life. We are utterly dependent on Him for everything we need.

Raising Children: Seeing Our Own Hearts

As your children grow, something else happens that reveals the gospel in a profound way. Your sweet, innocent baby starts to develop their own will. They start saying "no." They throw tantrums. They can be selfish and demanding—and they didn't learn this from anyone. It just came naturally.

This is such a clear picture of what the Bible calls our sin nature. We're all born with hearts naturally turned toward ourselves rather than toward God. You don't have to teach a toddler to be selfish—you have to teach them to share and be kind.

But here's the beautiful thing—even when your child is having their worst tantrum, your love for them doesn't change. You might not like their behavior, but you still love them fiercely.

That's a shadow of how God sees us. Romans 5:8 tells us "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Even at our worst, God's love for us doesn't waver.

The Beautiful Reality: Our Imperfect Love Points to His Perfect Love

The love you have for your children, as fierce and profound as it is, is not a perfect reflection of God's love for you. Through motherhood, you get this glimpse of God's deep, unwavering love, but it's in your own imperfect way.

We will always fall short of the perfection we desire in motherhood. We'll lose our patience. We'll make mistakes. We'll wonder if we're doing any of this right.

But rather than feeling discouraged, I want you to be humbled and in awe of the love the Lord has lavished on you. His love is perfect where yours is flawed. His grace is sufficient where you lack. His patience doesn't run out like yours does.

🙏 A Prayer for Your Birth Journey

Father, thank you for this precious mama reading today. Thank you for the profound way you've designed birth and motherhood to reflect your heart and your gospel. I pray that you would stir up her heart right now to give you glory for how deeply, how perfectly, how unconditionally you love her.

Lord, whether she's facing an upcoming birth or reflecting on past experiences, I pray you would give her fresh perspective. Help her see that her pain has purpose, that her sacrifice reflects yours, that her love for her children is just a glimpse of your perfect love for her.

When she's in labor, remind her that she's living out this beautiful picture of your sacrificial love. When she's exhausted in motherhood, remind her that her imperfect love points to your perfect love. When she feels like she's falling short, remind her that you see her, you know her, and you love her with a love that never fails.

In Jesus' name, amen.

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Meet Your Host —

Natalie Portman is a DONA certified birth doula and childbirth educator in Jacksonville, FL. She equips Christian women to experience peaceful, faith-filled births through virtual and in-person support. Her heart is to help mamas see God's goodness and faithfulness throughout their pregnancy and birth journey.

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📄 Full Episode Transcript

Hey there, mama. If you're listening to this, chances are you're either pregnant right now, maybe nervous about birth, or you're a mom who's been through labor and you're reflecting on that intense experience. Either way, I'm so glad you're here.

I want to start by giving you a little background for today's episode. As I was preparing for my first birth and especially after giving birth to my daughter Ellie, I realized there was something profound about how birth and the gospel were intertwined. The way my heart changed after becoming a mom opened my eyes to the deep love God has for me in a way I had never known up to that point. It was like I could suddenly see and feel God's love in this tangible, visceral way through my experience as a mother.

So I wanted to share some of these gospel parallels with you because I hope this episode blesses you with this same reality. I hope it causes you to gain a fresh sense of the Lord's love for you and also helps you reframe this season so that He receives glory through your journey of motherhood.

I want to talk to you today about how birth, in all its intensity and pain and beauty, actually gives us this incredible picture of the gospel. And here's the beautiful thing - even Jesus himself acknowledged these parallels between salvation and birth. When he was talking to Nicodemus in John 3, he said "you must be born again." Jesus chose birth language to describe what happens when we become Christians. He could have used any metaphor, but he chose birth - this process of moving from one realm to another, of new life emerging through struggle and pain.

Now, let me take a moment to explain what I mean by "the gospel" because I want everyone listening to understand this reality changing good news. The gospel literally means "good news," and it's the best news you could ever hear.

Here's the situation we're all in: God created us to be in perfect relationship with Him, but because of our sin - our rebellion against God, our selfishness, our moral failures - we're separated from Him. The Bible tells us that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." We've all done things we know are wrong. We've all been selfish. We've all failed to love God and others the way we should. And the consequence of sin is death - not just physical death, but spiritual separation from God forever.

But here's where the good news comes in. God loves us so much that He didn't leave us in that hopeless situation. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth. Jesus lived the perfect life that we couldn't live - He never sinned, never rebelled against God, always loved perfectly. But then Jesus willingly went to the cross and died in our place, taking the punishment that our sins deserved. He became our substitute.

But death couldn't hold Him. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead, proving that He had conquered sin and death. And now, because of what Jesus did, anyone who believes in Him - who trusts that His death paid for their sins and His resurrection gives them new life - can be forgiven and have eternal life with God.

It's not about being good enough or doing enough good works to earn God's favor. It's about recognizing that Jesus did everything necessary to reconcile us to God. When we put our faith in Jesus, God sees us as righteous - not because of what we've done, but because of what Jesus has done for us. We become God's children, adopted into His family forever.

This is the gospel - that while we are more flawed and sinful than we'd ever dare imagine, we are simultaneously more loved and accepted in Christ than we could ever dare hope. In Christ, God's love for us is not based on our performance or merit - it's a love that is unearned and lavishly given.

The gospel isn't just a story of salvation - it's the full revelation of God's character. His justice, mercy, grace, and love are all on display. And what I've discovered is that from the moment you conceive all the way through raising your children, this journey gives us these tangible, visceral glimpses of this reality.

So let's walk through this journey together, because I think this is going to encourage your heart in ways you weren't expecting.

Pregnancy: Love Without Merit

Let's start at the very beginning - pregnancy. From the moment you found out you were expecting, you felt this love for your baby, right? They hadn't done anything to earn it. Actually, if we're being honest, pregnancy probably made your life harder in a lot of ways - morning sickness, exhaustion, your body changing, giving up certain foods and activities. But despite all of that, you love this little person simply because they're yours.

This is exactly how God loves us. We haven't done anything to deserve His love. We can't earn it or merit it. Yet He loves us simply because we are His beloved children. First John 4:19 says "We love because He first loved us." That unconditional love you feel for your unborn baby? That's a glimpse of how God feels about you.

Think about how you prepare during pregnancy - setting up the nursery, reading books, getting your heart ready for this little person to change your life. You're waiting and anticipating with this mixture of excitement and maybe some nervousness. God's plan of salvation was prepared before the foundation of the world too. There were centuries of anticipation and preparation before Jesus came. And just like you're preparing a place for your baby, Jesus said "I go to prepare a place for you."

The Anticipation of Labor: Facing the Pain Ahead

As you get closer to your due date, you start thinking more and more about labor. Maybe you're excited, maybe you're nervous, maybe both. You know pain and struggle is coming, but you also know it has a purpose - meeting your baby.

This reminds me so much of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. He prayed "Father, if you are willing, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." Even Jesus in his flesh wanted to avoid pain. But he knew what was ahead - the joy of gaining his children.

Maybe you're thinking "I don't want to go through the pain of labor and all the pain that comes from raising a child." That's so normal, mama. Even Jesus wrestled with that. But let Jesus' heart posture encourage you - he chose to embrace the pain because of the love and the joy that would come from it. Your willingness to go through labor, to sacrifice your body and comfort for your child, reflects that same heart posture.

Labor and Birth: The Ultimate Sacrifice

Now let's talk about labor itself - the hardest part. If you've given birth before (whether it was vaginally or a cesearean birth), you know what I'm talking about. And listen, I'm not going to sugarcoat it - birth is intense. It's completely brings you to the end of yourself and your own strength.. There are moments when you wonder how you’re going to get through it!

Both birth and the cross involve this intense suffering that leads to new life. Your labor pain isn't just something you have to endure to get through to the other side. It's redemptive. It's necessary for the miracle that's about to happen. Just like the cross looked like defeat - Jesus hanging there, dying - but it was actually the ultimate victory over death, your most overwhelming moments in labor are actually ushering in new life.

You endure that physical and emotional sacrifice because of love. Love for someone you haven't even held yet. Is that not incredible? You're willing to go through all of that pain for a baby you've never looked in the eyes, someone who hasn’t done anything for you. That's the same kind of love that drove Jesus to the cross. He sacrificed everything out of love for us.

You know what keeps you going during labor? You're focused on gaining your child. You persevere because you're about to meet your baby. Jesus did the same thing. Hebrews 12:2 says he endured the cross "for the joy set before him." He persevered through unimaginable suffering because of his love for the children he was gaining - and that includes you.

Here's something fascinating about labor - when it comes to delivery, you're doing all the work. You're laboring, you're pushing, you're enduring. And your baby? They are completely passive. They're not doing anything to bring themselves into the world. It's through your strength and endurance that they're delivered into life.

This is such a powerful picture of our salvation. We are like that baby - completely passive in our own salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 says "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Just like you labor to bring your baby into the world, Jesus bore the weight of our sins on the cross and brought us into new life through His death and resurrection. We don't earn our salvation - it's entirely His work on our behalf.

Isn't it interesting that both birth and the crucifixion involve the shedding of blood and water? These are symbols of life and cleansing, of what it costs to bring forth new life.

And for those of you who have had a cesarean birth, there's something particularly profound here. Whether it was planned or unplanned, when you're on that operating table, your arms are stretched out - just like Jesus on the cross. There you are, in a position of complete surrender, arms spread wide, as blood and water flow and new life emerges. It's such a striking picture of the cross - surrender, sacrifice, blood, water, and the birth of new life all happening at once. Even in the operating room, God's design reflects the gospel.

And then there's that moment - oh my goodness, that moment - when your baby is born and you hear their first cry. It's like Jesus declaring "It is finished" on the cross. The work is done. The struggle is over. New life has arrived.

Jesus himself actually used this exact image. In John 16:21, he said a woman in labor has sorrow, but when her child is born, she doesn't remember the anguish because of her joy. The gospel follows this same pattern - the sorrow of the cross becomes the joy of resurrection.

The Newborn Phase: New Hearts for New Life

Here's something that just blows my mind - it's a medical fact that when your baby is born, their heart literally changes. The ductus arteriosus closes, blood flow redirects to their lungs, their entire circulation system restructures so they can function in this new environment outside the womb. The old way of getting oxygen through the umbilical cord doesn't work anymore - they need this completely transformed heart to survive in their new reality.

That's exactly what happens when we're born again spiritually. God gives us a new heart, like it says in Ezekiel 36:26. We need transformed hearts to thrive in our new life in Christ. The old way of living doesn't work anymore.

And then think about your newborn baby - they're completely dependent on you for everything. Food, warmth, protection, comfort. They literally can't survive without you. That's a picture of our complete dependence on Christ for our spiritual life. We are utterly dependent on Him for everything we need.

Birth transforms you into a mother forever. You can never go back to who you were before you held that baby. It's a permanent, life-changing identity. In the same way, accepting the gospel transforms us into children of God forever. It's not something that can be undone.

Raising Children: Seeing Our Own Hearts

Now, as your children grow, something else happens that reveals the gospel in a profound way. Your sweet, innocent baby starts to develop their own will. They start saying "no." They throw tantrums. They can be selfish and demanding. And you realize - they didn't learn this behavior from anyone. It just came naturally.

This is such a clear picture of what the Bible calls our sin nature. We're all born with hearts that are naturally turned toward ourselves rather than toward God. You don't have to teach a toddler to be selfish - it comes naturally. You have to teach them to share, to be kind, to think of others.

But here's the beautiful thing - even when your child is having their worst tantrum, even when they're being difficult or disobedient, your love for them doesn't change. You might not like their behavior, but you still love them fiercely. You would still do anything for them.

That's a shadow of how God sees us. Romans 5:8 tells us "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Even at our worst, even when we're being rebellious or difficult, God's love for us doesn't waver.

As mothers, we would do anything for our children. We're fierce and protective. We would even lay down our lives to protect them. This intense love reflects Christ's sacrificial love for us. But here's the key difference - while we might be willing to lay down our lives for our children, Christ actually did die for us. His love for us goes beyond what we, as human mothers, are capable of. His sacrifice wasn't theoretical - it was real.

The Beautiful Reality: Our Imperfect Love Points to His Perfect Love

Now, I want to shift gears a little bit and talk directly to your heart as a mother. Because here's the thing - the love you have for your children, as fierce and profound as it is, is not a perfect reflection of God's perfect love for you.

Through motherhood, you get this glimpse of God's deep, unwavering love for His children, but it's in your own imperfect way. And that's actually incredibly comforting when you think about it.

I don’t point this out to challenge you to be a better mother or to strive harder in your role. The truth is, we will always fall short of the perfection we desire in motherhood. We'll lose our patience. We'll make mistakes. We'll wonder if we're doing any of this right.

But rather than feeling discouraged by that, I want you to be humbled and in awe of the love the Lord has lavished on you. His love is perfect where yours is flawed. His grace is sufficient where you lack. His patience doesn't run out like yours does.

Conclusion: Take Heart, Mothers

So here's what I want you to take away from our time together today. If you are in Christ, you are His child, and being a mother gives you this unique opportunity to experience the heart of God and understand the gospel in a deeper, more intimate way.

Take heart, mama. God sees you. He knows you. He loves you with a love that surpasses anything you could ever offer your children. Your most intense moments of labor aren;t just random pain you had to endure - they are reflecting the very heart of the gospel, the lengths Jesus went to because of His love for you.

When you look at your child remember that you are God's beloved child too. And His love for you is perfect, constant, and unchanging.

Let me close our time together with a prayer for you:

Father, thank you for this precious mama listening today. Thank you for the profound way you've designed birth and motherhood to reflect your heart and your gospel. I pray that you would stir up her heart right now to give you glory for how deeply, how perfectly, how unconditionally you love her.

Lord, whether she's facing an upcoming birth or reflecting on past birth experiences, I pray you would give her a fresh perspective. Help her see that her pain has purpose, that her sacrifice reflects yours, that her love for her children is just a glimpse of your perfect love for her.

When she's in labor, remind her that she's living out this beautiful picture of your sacrificial love. When she's exhausted in motherhood, remind her that her imperfect love points to your perfect love. When she feels like she's falling short, remind her that you see her, you know her, and you love her with a love that never fails.

Receive glory through her story, Lord. Use her journey of motherhood to draw her closer to your heart and to help her understand the depths of your love in ways she's never known before.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Thanks for spending this time with me today, mama. I'm praying for you, wherever you are in this journey.

Natalie Portman
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