Faith Essentials

  Nothing truly prepares you for labor pains, no matter how many times you've experienced them. Last month, when I went into labor with our daughter, I was quickly reminded of how dreadful they are. At the hospital, all I could say to the nurse was, "Please, can I get the epidural now?" She calmly went through her procedures, promising anesthesia was on the way. Each time she asked a question, I pleaded for the anesthesiologist again. “You don’t understand, I need him now!”, I said. When he finally arrived, I said, "I'm ready. Where do I sign?" He smiled and replied, "You may be ready, but I need to go through a few things first." My husband said I gave the biggest eye roll. I had no other choice but to surrender to their procedures. Eventually, after reviewing the entire patient anesthesia handbook, I got the medicine and the relief I had been desperately waiting for. We often approach God in the same attitude I begged for pain medicine—demanding...