Scripture Cards for Labor and Delivery: Learn More!

As I began creating these Scripture Cards for Labor and Delivery, I couldn’t help but get, well, a little emotional…

And while I normally wouldn’t begin a post quite so sappily, I’m aware that this page will find itself predominantly in the hands of pregnant women—a specific sect of the population that might be uniquely equipped to empathize with someone, well, a little emotional…

So, if you are able to bear with me getting sentimental over here, I’d love to give you a little glimpse behind-the-scenes of creating these cards. And hopefully, there will be a few pieces of encouragement along the way for any expectant mama preparing herself for the wild adventure that is labor and delivery.

Hope in the Making

As I began the process of selecting Scriptures for this series—as I prayed, researched, and reflected on what might be supportive—I couldn’t help but picture so many of the scenarios women I know have encountered throughout their time of labor: difficult choices regarding pain medications, unexpected plot twists, physical anguish… and so much more.

And while I’d love to say this time has been pain-free for myself—or for other women I know—the truth is that Labor and Delivery is an incredibly trying time in a woman’s life.

There’s a Scripture found in John 16:21 that summarizes the experience well:

When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. John 16:21 NIV

This painful trial ends in the beauty of new life, and the memories of anguish pass away.

In the meantime, however, there is an undeniable anguish, and it’s my hope that this small tool—while not able to relieve all the pain—might alleviate some of the mental, spiritual, and emotional challenges that accompany the process of birth. It’s a high hope, and it’s a heavenly hope—because the truths of God were always meant to touch down in our lives in a fruitful way. (Isaiah 55:11)

I hope these cards equip women to move through Labor and Delivery with their gazes fixed on the God who loves them, and who is their ever-present help in times of trouble:

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1 NIV

The experience may be painful, but it will also be fruitful, and we can be faithful.

Faithful to allow the promises of God to sweep over us when we need them most, and to seek his presence in that Labor room with the ferocity only a mama bear can bring.

Now then, to return to the whole “getting emotional” thing…

As I moved through these cards, verse-by-verse, imagining women in labor, my eyes couldn’t help but fill with tears. I considered what their hearts might feel like if some of the Scriptures I was typing out sunk so deeply into their hearts and minds, that the way they processed events taking place was truly impacted…

Yes, labor would still be painful, but what if despair was mitigated?

There would still be unknown circumstances, but what if their mindsets were laden with hope?

What if these women’s minds had been so well-cultivated with seeds of life that when unexpected turns came their way, joyful expectation was already blooming inside of them?

Unanticipated c-section? What if rather than feeling broken down or out-of-control, they were already built up in the truth that God is with them always and that nothing is outside of the realm of his care? (Isaiah 43:2)

The challenging circumstance would remain, but their hearts might feel so very different.

And at the risk of over-doing it, please allow me just one more: with all the difficult decisions to make during labor, just imagine if a woman was so girded with the knowledge that God generously gives wisdom to all who ask, that she could seek him out with confidence, and make her choices with a deeper peace than would have been otherwise possible… (James 1:5)

I could go on-and-on. Because truly, the precious promises of God are endless—and they were never intended to just sit on a page. These words are alive and active, and were meant to touch down in our lives and bring peace to our days, as we recall just how powerful, loving, faithful, and good our God is. (Hebrews 4:12)

I pray that even through the intensity of labor, that these truths would provide hope, joy, and strength to endure with perseverance—all the way to the finish line of a beautiful new life.

May they beckon your gaze towards Christ—in all his steadfast love—and may his peace fill your delivery room by the power of the Holy Spirit, as you labor in faith.

So then, would you like to know what exactly these card sets contain? Let’s continue!

Contents

Each pack contains twenty scripture memory cards. Each card has a scripture, a “quick truth”, and a tool for memorization.

Scripture

These scriptures were prayed over and hand-selected along the themes of trusting in God’s active and present help, remembering his love for you in hard times, and disciplining your mind towards goodness throughout labor. These verses are varied and beautiful, and I hope remembering these truths brings you strength.

Quick Truth

These short phrases pull a main concept out of the Scripture, and I imagined women utilizing these quick truths as labor intensifies. When a full Bible verse feels too long to fit between contractions, I hope these quick truths can be spoken, breathed out, panted, or remembered in a way that is helpful during a very fast-moving time of your life.

Memorization Tool

The back of each card holds the first letter of each word in the Scripture. This tool can aid your memorization, as you practice the verse with small clues (without looking at the entire words). The hope is that this aspect of the card helps you to hide verses in your heart in the months leading up to labor and delivery, so they are easily accessible—by the power of the Holy Spirit—when you need them most!

Other Specs

These cards are designed in sweet, gender-neutral baby colors. Petite and packable—perfect for a hospital bag—and even offer you the option of a small, cinchable bag when you check out!

There are 20 cards in a set, each one 2.5” x 3.5”. (This is the same size as a standard deck of cards, for reference!)

Finally, these cards were designed in tandem with an adorable, gender-neutral baby card. This combo is offered in a bundle (below) that saves a few dollars if you purchase them together!

Final Thoughts

Overall, I am just so thrilled to offer this product to you all.

I’ve wanted to create these since I was pregnant with my own son—eight years ago!—but, the time was now, and I hope they will bless you so very much and bring you comfort, hope, and peace in your time of need.

One more thing—if you are a mama of more children, or know a mama of more children—I don’t want you to miss another item below: Truth Cards for Kids! This set contains a year’s worth of weekly content to help your children (ages 3-12) get to know the Gospel and learn how to love the Lord with their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Learn more here. Or tap below!

Thanks for reading! God bless you!

The Refreshment of Repentance: A Look at Leviticus 4, John 3:17, and James 5:16

The only thing that stands between us and the refreshment of repentance is proper humility. 

This idea stood out to me as I considered the nature of sin this morning on the drive into school with my four-year-old. It had been a challenging morning for him, and he was feeling sad. I suspected it may have had to do with shame he was holding over a few rebellious events that had taken place over the course of the morning. I said a prayer for God to expose the root of his heaviness and replace it with his the organic joy that comes from Jesus’ truth.

Coming off of a reading of Leviticus 4 the night before, the idea of intentional versus unintentional sin was ringing in my mind. While this topic—at surface value—may appear as one that would add to the heaviness of a situation, upon deeper consideration, there are a few truths that I believed would have the opposite impact: heart-lifting encouragement.

One of those most wonderful things about interacting with a young child is that it provides added incentive to highlight the bright and beautiful side of everyday spiritual truths. The varied nature of our sin is no different.

As I explained the dual-nature of our sin to my tear-stricken four-year-old, the cross remained in crucially-clear view. I let my little buddy know that there are two kinds of sin that Jesus forgives us for: intentional sin (like when a person might hit their brother for example, on purpose) and unintentional sin (like when a person is simply too weak in the faculties of emotional regulation to walk in immediate obedience). While intentional sin is more obvious to recognize and, perhaps, may seem simpler to repent of, the Bible makes no mistake that unintentional sin is just-as-much sin.

Cue the silver lining…

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Truth in Isaiah 54: God's Promise to be "Never Angry Again"

To the tender heart, receiving a promise from someone that they will “never be angry with you again” is a balmy salve to the soul that can appear almost too good to be true. And yet, in this emotionally poignant promise found in Isaiah, that is exactly what the Lord promises to his people. And lest we be surprised, this is the very aspect of his character that has been alluded to far-throughout the pages of Scripture: mercy defines God’s nature. (Psalm 30:5, Lamentations 3:22-23)

And while there are far more expansive resources to cover this topic—such as the book Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund or this well-scripted interview with John Piper —I hope you’ll walk away with this brief but powerful truth today: in Christ, you are dwelling securely in the relational riches of the New Covenant; in Christ, condemnation is a thing of the past.

And while, as any beloved child, we may undergo periods of discipline that are rooted in love and aimed to teach and direct us to walk on the proper path, we can stand firmly in the love of the Father, knowing that in Christ, God’s wrath has beenfully satisfied. We are held in perfect peace and abounding, unfailing love. Praise the Lord! 

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Growing in God's Will: An Exploration of Colossians 1:9-12

There’s a manner of walking in the will of God that begins with the Holy Spirit and ends in our blessed obedience, good works, and an increased understanding of our Heavenly Father.

To explore this idea, I want to walk us through a portion of Scripture at the outset of Colossians. It’s both hearty and wonderful. As you read it, I invite you to ponder these questions: How does one begin to understand God’s will? And what is the result?

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Finding Hope in Luke 5:4-11

Have you ever cracked open your Bible in the early morning hours and done a glimpse over your intended readings for the day, and—if you’re being honest—question if what you were about to read was relevant to your current circumstances?

Sometimes what we read in the Bible has immediate application, and other times, it’s a seed planted for future fruit. In my case the other morning, I expected the latter and received the former… and I’d love to share a snippet of what the Lord spoke to my heart with you today.

Situationally, I was walking through some relational hardship. Scripturally, I was about to read a story about a group of fisherman making a big catch. I didn’t anticipate walking away with a hearty douse of encouragement and yet—by the power of the Holy Spirit—God used this exact story found in Luke 5:4-11 to breathe a fresh wind into my circumstances and send me into my day with hope-filled expectancy…

open Luke 5:4-11 in a new tab

In this story, we see Jesus invite a group of men to let their nets down into waters that they have spent the night unsuccessfully fishing. Simon’s exact answer to the Lord’s request was: “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” (Luke 5:5)

I love the combination we see here of authenticity and obedience. Simon doesn’t hide his experience with this exact situation from the Lord, and yet he faithfully follows the words of Jesus and proceeds to let his net down back into the waters that had left him previously disappointed.

As a result of this action, the fishermen in the story end up catching so many fish that their boats couldn’t handle the load; they needed to call in reinforcements!

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. Luke 5:6-7 NIV

Please excuse this next statement—as I know it’s bit cheesy—but when I read this line from Scipture… it wasn’t just the boat that began breaking…

As I sat there on my living room couch, I felt my expectations of future disappointment begin to fall apart. Just because I had taken certain steps in the past (regarding my current difficult circumstances) didn’t mean that Jesus couldn’t produce new results.

The amazing thing? He didn’t even need to instruct me in some novel or new idea. Jesus has the power and ability to give us instructions for the very same actions we have done a million times before, and produce entirely new results.

I looked at what was before me with a fresh hope: I could trust Jesus. I could focus my energies—not on coming up with some new master plan to deal with my situation—but to simply lean into his voice and take the action steps he called me to take.

He is the one who is able to accomplish more than all we could ask or imagine—according to His power that is at work within us. We don’t need to do anything spectacular per se, but Jesus— because of who He is—can take our everyday steps of obedience and accomplish something incredible. (Ephesians 3:20)

All for His glory and for the sake of His Name.

Be encouraged today, friends!