“Every time I get off a crowded metro I feel like I have just been birthed. When you live in a city where people do not have personal space and it is in everyone’s interest to help you out of the train, you literally get squeezed out the door.”

My cousin Judy lives in Moscow. She lived there previously and after a few years away has returned with her family. Judy is loving being back in an urban setting and I recently asked her to tell me more about her life moving back to this massive city.

She responded with the quote above.

….I feel like I have just been birthed….

I love her description!

And while she describes Moscow, it fits with other cities. Everyday as doors open on the subway, people are birthed; pushed into an unpredictable world, a world that pushes, jostles, shoves and makes its mark on us.

We are pushed into places and spaces that challenge and confound. Even if we try to hold back, the birthing process that the city works on us always wins.

Like newborn babies we open our mouths to scream, and our eyes wide, taking in all that surrounds us. We’re pushed from safe and predictable into uncertainty and constant change. It’s new everyday.

And everyday like a newborn babe, just birthed, I am in desperate need of Someone to hold me, Someone to walk me through this process, Someone to let me know I’m not alone.

This morning I’ve been birthed by the city and desperately need to be surrounded by God. For where my day is unpredictable and holds all those things that make a newborn cry when they leave the womb — cold, discomfort, pain, and strangers — my God is strong and trustworthy, invested in this birthing process.

What about you? Where have you been birthed this Monday morning? Is it a city or somewhere else? Is it a safe space or a place of unpredictability? Would love to hear from you through the comments.