Women’s Wednesday | “I Didn’t Even Know!”

Thirty-one year old Jennifer West was trying to enjoy a peaceful family vacation when she started to experience extreme pain. The pain was so bad that her husband finally convinced her to seek medical help at the local hospital. After checking into the emergency room and describing her pain, which was like “the worst period of [her] life”, she was given an ultrasound.

Did you guess what’s going on? The ultrasound showed that she pregnant! And further exam revealed that she was eight centimeters dilated. Within hours she had her healthy baby boy in her arms and proclaimed, “I didn’t even know I was pregnant!” (To read more of her story, click here)

But how could she not know? As a woman currently in week 30 of my pregnancy I find this impossible to believe. But it seems as though Jennifer was an expert at rationalizing and explaining away the signs. Looking back on it, she admits that she did have many of the “symptoms” of pregnancy:

- Missed periods. (She had always been irregular.)

- Morning sickness. (She thought it was the flu!)

- Heartburn and stomach pain. (She thought she had “aggravated her ulcer”.)

- Weight gain of nearly 20 pounds in her midsection. (She was sure it was just her body changing since she’d just recently turned thirty.)

While I think most of us ladies would not explain away all of these symptoms that point to pregnancy, are we ignoring the signs and symptoms of a more serious condition – one that will effect our souls?

One spring morning, Ted opened the door to find the preacher from the local congregation standing there looking a little nervous.

Opening the door slowly, Ted said, “Hi brother! It’s good to see you!”

The preacher replied, “It’s great to see you, Ted. But I’m afraid I’m here on a grave assignment. I want to find out why you’ve fallen away from the church, the body of Christ.”

“What?!” Ted, said. As it slowly sunk in, he added, “I didn’t even know I had fallen away.”

You may be wondering how anyone could not know. But Ted, like the unknowingly pregnant Jennifer, had become an expert at rationalizing away the “signs” and “symptoms” of being an erring member! Much like Jennifer’s reaction to the ER nurse, Ted was initially taken aback by the preacher’s bold statement. But, then Ted realized he was right – he had fallen away. And the symptoms were all there:

- He stopped attending worship services. He missed just a few at first, but then it just became easier to stay at home. He hadn’t been back in two years.

- He didn’t fellowship with any of the saints. After all, the members of the church that were his age all had families. He had nothing in common with them. It was much easier to hang out with his free spirited single pals.

- He had compromised many of his once dearly held Bible beliefs. It started out as one beer at home. No one would know, right? It led to nights out at the bar and weekend “clubbing” excursions. He also found himself not speaking up when someone would question him on his views of abortion or homosexual marriage.

- He never opened the Word of God anymore. His life was so busy. Plus, he never knew what to study or what it meant.

- His attitude toward God, His Son, and the Church had changed. He once loved God, but there have been so many bad things that had happened to him, he’s just not sure where God fits into the picture.

There are many reasons one may fall away. Perhaps you’ve just “drifted away” as the writer of Hebrews warns against in Hebrews 2:1. Or maybe you weren’t grounded in the truth to begin with (Luke 8:13). Or have you allowed yourself to err because of your surroundings, letting the “cares, riches, and pleasures of life” sweep you away from the Lord (Luke 8:14)?

Whatever the reason, know the warning signs and “catch it” before it’s too late!

Jennifer went through her whole pregnancy without nurturing her child with essential pre-natal care. Her baby could have had serious birth defects, but luckily he didn’t. Unfortunately, a person who goes through life without nurturing their spiritual self will not catch the same break that Jennifer did. They will give an account of their life to God (Romans 14:12) and every work will be judged – even those “secret things” (Ecclesiastes 9:10).

Will you be left pleading with God, saying, “But, I didn’t know I had fallen away?!” Recognize the signs and symptoms before it’s too late.

~Martha Howell