Wisdom is inherent when making peace. It is in the unity with God and with one another – the bond, the relationships we make, to nurture and protect. Wisdom is infused in the glory of God, the evidence of God’s presence in us and in creation. It increases with the transformation of us into the More Than – into more of who God created us to be – image-bearers, glorious. Love.
When I was pregnant for the first time with Samantha, Howie and I wanted to be intentional about how we parent, beginning with the birthing process. At that time, we were serving at the First UMC of Ardmore, OK, and the wife of the lead pastor there gave me a book about attachment-style parenting and natural childbirth. It was written by a Christian couple, pediatrician and nurse, and what they said made sense to us. We knew this was the approach we both sensed God was leading us into.
The birthing style we followed was the Bradley, or Partner-Coached method. Unlike the complicated breath patterns of Lamaze, this approach teaches partners to engage deep relaxation and controlled breathing, along with guided imagery to reframe the intense process of expelling a human being from ones body.