It’s a little after 3:00 in the morning. The Lord and I do a lot of our visiting around this time – after the baby is fed and the house is quiet.

It was a morning like this several months ago, right before my son was to arrive. This is how our conversation went:

Lord, my friend Jana talked about my baby “rending” my body. That word sort of stuck out to me. Like I thought birth was just this natural bodily function and she was talking about tearing. Why do women get torn twice? The hymen on the way in and the body on the way out?

The hymen is torn so life can be created. Just like the veil into the Holy of Holies was torn. An invitation to Intimacy. You can come into my Presence to be with Me.

The body is torn (in birth) so life can be lived. Just like Jesus’ body was torn. So I can come into You. 

Lord, why both? Why is that necessary?

Because I did BOTH parts. Just like the covenant with Abraham. In Genesis 15. I passed through the torn offerings for both of us.”

Weeks later, after I’d had a C-scection, (which was NOT my original plan!) I was talking about the whole experience with Jana.

She just said, “Listen – when a baby comes, you’re going to get split: This way or this way” – she gestured vertically and then horizontally. I know her hand movements indicated natural birth or C- section. But in that moment, I saw the sign of the cross.

It hits differently when you hear the Lord say, “This is My body broken for you” after your body has been broken to let someone else live.

And what else was I remembering from when Jesus’ body was torn? Water and blood. That’s right. Just like birth.

I don’t know if these dots connect for you. But as I ponder these things I keep seeing that He has written the Gospel in our very bodies. Signs and symbols that point to this amazing Life Giving God.