Faith - Family

Musing About Family and Privilege

The snow has come as forecasted and the world outside my door is cold and white. It is a good day to stay inside. It is Five Minute Friday—the day that we take five minutes, or just a little more—to write on the prompt that Kate Motaung gives us. Today’s prompt is: PRIVILEGE

There is a great benefit to growing up in a family with both mother and father. When the family reads Bible together and prays, there is additional blessing. This is God’s design. An intact family is not meant to be a privilege, but we live in a broken world.

My daughter and son-in-law have taken in two children through foster care. They have had some contact with the biological parents and are deeply saddened by the brokenness that has led to the children entering foster care. My daughter has shared with me her gratitude for our family, her growing up years.

Sometimes we don’t recognize the privilege we have experienced until we move outside of our comfort zone. Sometimes we need a new perspective. //

Family - Bouquet

As a nurse I had a dramatic change in perspective when I left the hospital labor and delivery unit to attend home births. For years I had taught Lamaze classes, giving instruction on how to stay relaxed, how to breathe, comfort measures for labor. When my clients gave me feedback, they told me about the hospital procedures they encountered. The breathing techniques and relaxation did not always help.

For home birth, the laboring mother is in her home. I was the guest giving her guidance and support. She was able to work with her labor in a way that I hadn’t seen in the hospital.

I am now an advocate of homebirth—with a clear plan for hospital transport when labor is prolonged or complicated. My hope is that hospital staff and homebirth attendants can have increased communication and understanding. All can benefit from a new perspective.

It is a challenge to step outside of our comfort zone. As Christians we have been given a great gift and the ability to reach out to others with love.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And it is not your own doing; it is the gift of God . . .

Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the common wealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2: 8, 12-13

Carol is a follower of Jesus and a wife, mom & grandma. She worked for many years as a childbirth nurse and prenatal educator. She recently retired from clinical work. She has written articles for nursing journals and devotionals. Her novel, Aliisa's Letter, was published in 2010 and she is currently working on another project.

6 Comments on “Musing About Family and Privilege

  1. My neice had to go to Texas for her training. She couldn’t find the training here. Now she is a midwife and goes to Haiti and Ecuador a few times a year with a medical team mnistering to mothers.

  2. Stepping out of our comfort zone is so hard but you’re absolutely right – how else do we truly see the world through a new lens? Thanks for your perspective, Carol!

  3. Carol, you are a servant of God helping those mothers give birth. Kudos to your children for being foster parents. It’s something I pray about for myself. I’m in the 38 spot this week.

    1. Thanks for visiting, Tara. I am actually retired now. The home birth practice that I worked for has dissolved. Midwives that do attend home births are finding it very difficult to arrange physician/hospital back-up.

  4. Your words are precious. Being out of our environment so often is the means to seeing what we possessed. I admire those who take in foster children. Your daughter’s reaching out reminded her of her own privileged life. She is passing on your fruit and labor of love to others, and so are you in homebirthing. A pleasure to read!

    1. We don’t have many home birth providers in Illinois, but I understand that Massachusetts has a strong midwife association that supports home birth. Thanks for visiting, Mary.

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