I’ve never wrestled with my faith like I did in those hours… I cried out, begged, and pleaded with God from the deepest part of me, and yet it felt quiet. I had never felt so alone and abandoned. Everything was clouded by the pain & exhaustion, and I questioned if He was even near. But as I look back, I’m reminded of the Psalms that says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death… You are with me.” He walked with me THROUGH the valley. And on the other side was life! I’ve learned that the presence of pain doesn’t mean the absence of God… And that sometimes God delivers us from the fire, other times He walks us through it. Had I chosen to numb the pain, I might have missed the depth of this encounter. It was in the rawness — unmedicated and unfiltered — that something sacred and holy happened. And it was only through the pain and surrender — not around it — that I met God in a new way and discovered just how close He’s been all along. 🕊️ #childbirth #birth #pregnancy #birthstory #labor #laboranddelivery #faith #christian