It’s All About Position

I know that sometimes labor takes longer for first time mothers, but this was just taking forever. I felt for the poor lady, because when she told me she was tired, I couldn’t think of anything to say except, “I bet you are! You should be!” But those aren’t the most empowering words for a woman in labor who really needs to push a baby out. Even I was tired, and I wasn’t the one who had been in labor all day or pushing for the last hour and a half. 

We tried pushing in all sorts of ways, but that baby just wasn’t coming down. The cervix was completely dilated and the baby had enough space to pass through the birth canal, so we didn’t know what to do except give her more time. 

That’s when the nurse’s aide asked me if she could try something. “Of course. Anything,” I replied, happy to just get a little break. 

She proceeded to place a sheet on the ground and instruct the patient to get up and stand on it. She ever so gently helped the patient out of bed, stood behind her with her hands on the woman’s hips, and started swaying her back and forth in a nice, slightly fast rhythm. Think about those pepper shakers that you turn upside and twist to grind the pepper out. That’s kind of what it made me think of. 

After thirty minutes, the doctor came to evaluate the patient, and I showed her where the aide and the woman were still behind the curtain doing prenatal aerobics or something of the sort. She chuckled and said, “Whatever helps!” as she popped on some gloves. As the patient kept swaying, the doctor leaned her head down to see if she could see anything down there, and with a delightful shriek exclaimed, “It’s working!”

Honestly, none of us westerners thought that kind of pepper shaker dance move would make a difference in the world, but boy where we wrong. They danced it out for thirty more minutes and then with two strong pushes, a baby boy weighing 3.7 kilograms was born. And our aide won the MVP award of the day. 

All that woman needed was a little change in position and momentum for the baby to be born. 

It reminded me of something that happened earlier in the day with the same patient when she was laboring. I had been monitoring the baby with an electronic fetal monitor that allows us to trace the heart rate and it’s patterns. All morning the pattern had been reassuring, until I noticed some things that concerned me. I also noticed that the patient was sitting straight up in bed. When I encouraged her to lay back down slightly on one side, the baby’s heart rate instantly returned to a good pattern. 

In labor and delivery, the first solution to practically every concern is to change positions. Mother feeling significant pain? Change positions. Baby’s heart rate not good? Change positions. Labor not advancing? Change positions. 

I laid in bed that night thinking about it all. I smiled as I pictured that sweet aide dancing it out with the patient until her baby was born. I thought about how something as simple as the right position change can make such a big difference. 

I wonder if it’s not the same in my spiritual life. Spiritual stagnancy calls for a change in position. If our walk with God is not advancing, perhaps it’s time for a change in position. If something is not quite right with the heart, a change in position can get the heart beating again. Pain also indicates the need for a change in position and posture before God. 

What does a change in position look like? I think most of the time we know deep down in our hearts what it is. Maybe it’s more consistent and intentional time in God’s Word. Perhaps it is more fervent and focused prayer. It could be that we need to linger longer in his presence, or practice more thankfulness, or confess a sin. Maybe it’s letting go of a record of wrongs, changing our attitude towards another person, or choosing humility and sacrifice over pride. 

Whatever it may be, just turning ever so slightly in a better direction can absolutely change the pattern of our hearts and the vitality in our lungs. And suddenly, things will start advancing and something new may even be born.