As a mother of young children, I’ve spent time thinking deeply about birth from a spiritual perspective. This can be helpful for anyone, whether or not we are a parent, for each of us can experience a spiritual rebirth and see that we are “born of the Spirit.”

One example of spiritual rebirth is a story from the Bible where Nicodemus talks to Christ Jesus about being “born again.” Nicodemus is a Pharisee in the Jewish faith. As a Pharisee, his knowledge centers around the written law of God, and yet he craves a deeper understanding of how Jesus could be performing healings for those around him. Nicodemus goes to meet with Jesus to grapple with this idea (see John 3:1–21).

In this conversation, Nicodemus rather obtusely questions the concept of rebirth: “How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?”

Jesus answers, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Being born of the Spirit means to be born of God—of inspiration and renewal—rather than of human parents or a biological process.

This story intrigued me. It’s been important to me to consider how these ideas can be proved practical in our everyday lives. 

A few years ago it became especially important to me to seek a more spiritual understanding of birth. After a complex and long labor with our first child, I felt some dread at the prospect of giving birth again. When my husband and I were expecting our second child, I prayed daily to know God as creator. This relieved me of my worries and moved me to the expectancy of good. The following are some of the key concepts I strove to see from a spiritual angle throughout the birth. They filled me with hope and strength.

Proper positioning

It was several days after the baby’s due date. It’s no surprise that my husband, daughter, and I were eager to welcome this little one into our family!

Our birth team consisted of a midwife, a Christian Science nurse, and also a Christian Science practitioner who ministered to our family by providing specific prayer for a harmonious birth. [Editor’s note: Christian Science nurses can be called on to provide non-medical, practical care to those relying on Christian Science in many situations, including supporting a mother and baby during and after a birth.]

God was reassuring me that the baby and I were wrapped in God’s love right then. 

The anticipation grew when we met that week with the midwife, who was concerned about the baby’s position. She asked us to get an ultrasound to give her more information about which way the baby was facing.

I followed the midwife’s instruction and made an appointment for later that afternoon. I was worried. Concerns about birth complications surfaced. To address those concerns, I devoted the rest of the morning to prayer.

Praying, and reading that week’s Bible Lesson found in the Christian Science Quarterly, proved to be immeasurably helpful—much more helpful than busying myself folding baby clothes and stocking diapers. Instead of waiting for the test results to determine the course of the birth or the baby’s well-being, I found a sense of deep stillness and conviction in God.

As I prayed that morning, I remembered words from a hymn that I love in the Christian Science Hymnal: Hymns 430–603: 

This was good news! Neither the child nor I could turn away from God, because God is everywhere. I knew God’s goodness could be felt whether mothers and babies were in a hospital, a home, or a birthing room.

As Nicodemus learned from Jesus, the real birth is a spiritual awakening. This kind of birth isn’t threatening or exhausting, but a total joy. I felt strongly that I didn’t need to wait for some euphoric moment when I was holding our baby to feel peaceful and reassured. God was reassuring me that the baby and I were wrapped in God’s love right then. 

The nervousness about the ultrasound lessened. When it came time for the appointment that afternoon, tests confirmed that the baby was head-down and ready to arrive any day. The mental repositioning I had experienced earlier in the day through prayer reminded me to trust God and brought an adjustment. 

No labor in vain 

A few days later, the morning I went into labor, I woke up at 4 a.m. to pray. In these quiet moments, I felt for the baby a deep, pure love that originated in God, much like the love I feel from God for myself.

The labor progressed through the morning. The Christian Science practitioner was with my husband and me throughout the day to provide prayerful support and minister to our spiritual needs. A sense of mental peace had a marked outward impact of calming and reassuring us. The practitioner shared that we couldn’t “labour in vain,” as the Bible says (Isaiah 65:23), because we were following God’s direction. With God leading us, things were moving forward.

Timing

A passage from Psalms reminded me I was putting my trust in God: “In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion” (71:1).

Up to this point, timing the baby’s arrival was one of my biggest concerns. As we lived in a rural setting and were traveling to a friend’s home for the birth, I was concerned that the baby might come while we were in transit.

The lessons became so much more memorable than the physical processes of delivering a baby.

My question about timing became a nonissue when we went back to an idea that the practitioner shared: This birth experience was an opportunity to say yes to God’s goodness. We weren’t laboring in vain—under false hopes or trusts. We were saying yes and accepting “the divine energy of Spirit, bringing us into newness of life and recognizing no mortal nor material power as able to destroy,” as we read in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy (p. 249). This newness of life isn’t just a new person being added to the planet but an awakening to God’s closeness to us. 

The car trip was smooth. The baby didn’t arrive until later that night, so we had a very full day of work! When the contractions came, the Christian Science nurse read hymns aloud. Each hymn was a ready-made prayer that brought me strength and reassurance.

Energy

I remember how specifically the Christian Science nurse spoke to me when I was working through the contractions. She encouraged me to relax and to be clear-eyed, not overcome with pain. One of the hymns that the Christian Science nurse read used the phrase “strongest deliverer” (Mary Baker Eddy, No. 298), referring to the timeless Christ that delivers and saves us from sorrow and suffering. The pain stopped even as the contractions continued. 

At a point when I felt as if the birth had stalled and I just couldn’t keep doing the mental and physical work, the Christian Science practitioner spoke to me with tenderness and understanding. She affirmed that we hadn’t entered a space of fragility or fear. We could remember from a hymn mentioned earlier that “Spirit is there.” God really is filling all space every hour. The practitioner talked about having deep reserves of strength because we were “leaning on the sustaining infinite” (Science and Health, p. vii).

At that point, I snapped out of that weary state, and the birth continued. 

Allowing

The final idea that helped me was an idea about “allowing” the birth to happen. Deep down, I knew I needed to better grasp the idea that I wasn’t making the birth happen. As the contractions came closer and closer together, I practiced “allowing” by giving thanks for God, for my husband, the baby, our older daughter, the friends who welcomed us to their home for the birth, the Christian Science nurse, the tender care of the midwife, the practitioner, and so much more. It was fruitful to allow the gratitude to lift my thoughts and sustain me—to keep me going. 

With deepest gratitude, we welcomed our baby girl that night. 

Looking back at this experience, I will never forget the lessons I learned. In a sweet way, they became so much more memorable than the physical processes of delivering a baby. I had felt the grace of God that dissolved gridlocked moments of worry and pain and helped me see that strength comes from God. 

Fear and drama are not the boss; they are not what they seem. We can call their bluff and wholeheartedly say yes to moments of birth and rebirth that come naturally with realizations of spiritual reality. The way we say yes to enable a birth of any kind is to get our fears out of the way and recognize that God is doing God’s work. Being “born of the Spirit” means awakening to life that is continuous, eternal, and safe. This awakening is something we all can experience.