Is our part of the "bride of Christ" pregnant?

I'm a strange man ("peculiar", according to the scriptures). I think strange thoughts. I say strange things.  I do strange things. In fact, I believe that my daughters are "normal" and respectable young ladies because they rebelled against their "strange" dad- LOL.

I had a very strange thought when I awakened this morning. I really don't know where it came from. Did I dream something and don't remember it? I'm a 46 year old Grandpa. My wife and I are not thinking about any more children- besides Grandchildren. Our daughters, who are single and live with us, are definitely not pregnant. Our oldest son has given us a wonderful Granddaughter and, we are told, will soon be providing us with a Grandson. But, I haven't thought of this in days. Still, I awakened with strange thoughts today, and thought I might share them with you. Remember: Strange thoughts.

But, here goes my rather unusual thought progression. A) When women are pregnant, it is a well known fact that they crave foods that they usually don't eat that way, and that most folks call them strange for eating that way. B) When women are pregnant, they usually become nauseated by one or more of the foods they would normally eat. C) The Church is the "bride of Christ" and is supposed to be about converting others to becoming a part of the bride of Christ themselves.

Brother Winskie, what in the world are you talking about? Let's take this one thing at a time.

The church is the "bride of Christ". Our goal is to grow the family of God. So, my questions begin here. Are we pregnant? How would we know if we, as his bride, are pregnant? Are there some signs and symptoms that we should look for as indicators? If we compare spiritual pregnancy with physical pregnancy, perhaps there are.

When a woman is pregnant, her body begins to change in preparation for the carrying of her child.

The first indicator is usually "morning sickness". Certain smells and foods seem to cause her an extreme amount of nausea. As such, she begins to avoid these things in order to avoid the nausea.

If we, as Christians, are truly preparing for the births of spiritual babies, shouldn't there begin to be an aversion to some of the things in this world that most think are "normal". Shouldn't we start to feel some convictions in our lives? Shouldn't we start being careful of the environment we allow ourselves to be involved in? Do sinful environments cause us to draw back from them because of the spiritual nausea we feel? Are there places we used to hang out at, that we wouldn't hang out there anymore? Have our reading materials and entertainment choices changed? If not, perhaps we aren't who we think we are.

As a pregnant woman progresses in her pregnancy, her clothing changes to fit her expanding body. To refuse to do this could be hazardous to both mother and baby. It can cause lack of proper feeding and circulation to the child. This can cause retardation, deformation, and even death (for both mother and child). Shouldn't the way that we dress change to fit our new situation as his bride? If we are pregnant, shouldn't our clothing change, as well? Some folks say no. Yet, if you look at their spiritual "offspring", you will see retardation and deformity, rather than a normal and healthy child of God.

Another indicator of a healthy pregnancy is cravings. The woman begins to crave things that she needs in order to care for both herself and her child. Many times these cravings seem crazy to others. Pickles and Ice cream? Are you nuts? No. Her body is letting her know that she needs the nutrients contained in those foods. It may not taste very good to her, but she eats it out of love for her child.

As a healthy pregnant bride of Christ, shouldn't we be craving things the world thinks are strange? Where is the travailing in prayer for hours for both ourselves and the lost souls we encounter? Where is the hunger for the word of God? Where is the time spent in intimacy with our husband (prayer, praise, worship, personal study), so that we can become spiritually pregnant? After all, There can be NO pregnancy without intimacy.

Do we worry about how long the service will last, or just enjoy the move of God and the seed (word) he's placing in us? Are we concerned with how we look to the world? Or do we change our appearance to please our husband and protect the coming child? Do we still hang out "at the club", or have we changed our hangouts to fit our new station as part of "the bride of Christ"? In short, Who do we really love? Our husband and the coming new born children of God? Or, ourselves and the world?

God has prophesied a wonderful end time harvest for his bride. Multitudes of new births to come. If we want to be a part of this enormous promise, perhaps we should begin to make changes to fit our new station in life. If we don't, are we really a part of his bride? Just some "strange thoughts" for us to ponder.