No Cry, No Life
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” – Isaiah 9:6
It is the 25th of December. On this day, it is usual and expected that Christmas messages will proliferate through all the channels of social media, expressing well wishes to friends and loved ones. The year 2018 was no exception. Reading through the messages I had received, I could not help but take some time to reflect on the meaning and significance of Christmas. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our saviour Jesus Christ. My reflection led me to what felt like an uncommon line of thinking.
The start of something big will hurt and it will be uncomfortable
When a baby is born he/she must let out that proverbial first cry to ensure that he/she continues to sustain life. The birth marks the end of nine months of being fed, of being carried and of being sustained by oxygen through a tube (umbilical cord). After birth, the baby must learn the first instinctive act of survival — breathing. The expansion of the lungs, filling it with air for the first time is what that first cry does. Also, the first cry gets rid of any excess fluid and residue in the lungs, nose or mouth. In essence, without that first cry, a baby is likely to die.
We are introduced to risk from the minute we leave the comfort of our mother’s womb. However, this risk does not stop us from being born. A baby must leave the comfort of the womb if it must continue to grow. It is important to know when you have outgrown your present environment so that you are born into a new environment that will foster your growth. But you must be ready for the cry of survival.
That cry might be to get rid of the residue of people laughing at your dream. People laughed at Karl Benz’s dream of designing the first motorcar.
That cry might be to get rid of the excess fluid of rejection. It has been famously said that Oprah Winfrey’s employers rejected her, saying she was not fit for television.
That cry might be to take in the air of courage to rise up from your failure of trying to do something novel. The Wright brothers had numerous failed attempts before their first successful flight in 1903.
I have had my own first cries, yet nothing says that I will not have more first cries. I had my first cry when I had to revise the entire manuscript of my first book just at the point where I thought it was done and ready to publish. I had my first cry when I failed a critical paper during my chartered accountancy exams and I was demoted. I had my first cry when I lost all the monies I invested in a printing business.
Those cries cleared the nasal passages of my dreams, breathed air into the lungs of my passion. My babies are growing one day at a time. I keep moving forward.
Whatever challenges are facing your dreams, visions and goals. Let this lesson be an encouragement for you to push past the pain. Let it be a motivation for you to push past the rejection and failure. And let it be a reminder for you to have the blueprint that will show you how to accomplish your vision before you start.
After that first cry is over, there will be a celebration of life, the celebration of a new beginning. May the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ bring you the joys that follow the sound of the first cry of a newborn baby.
Merry Christmas!
