No one chooses to be born. Birth is something that happens to us. Something that is done to, and, in a sense, for us. Someone else moves us from one state of existence into a whole new and strange and shocking world.
The Christian idea of rebirth is much the same. Being born again as children of God is something that happens to us. Something that is done to and for us that we never could have done for ourselves. In fact, rebirth is often a surprise, often not something a person was even looking for. (This is certainly true of my own story.)
But rebirth also a bit different than birth.
The longer I try to live this life of faith, the more I am coming to believe that spiritual rebirth is not a one-time event like physical birth. “Re,” after all, simply means “again.” The good news of Jesus is that spiritual birth can happen again—and again and again. God is not limited or stingy with his “agains”. Spiritual rebirths are possible at any moment. They come to us all the time, yet are unpredictable in both timing and impact. Sometimes we go through small rebirths; sometimes huge, paradigm-altering rebirths.
Additionally, as opposed to birth, we do get a little bit of agency in rebirth: When the spiritual contractions kick in we can choose to yield to their work, or to stay in the old, familiar womb of our life. It’s comfortable in it’s familiarity, for sure, but that isn’t real living. The new world we’re being ushered into is far better, yet it seems that the Spirit will stop just shy of inducing labor or performing a C-section.
Being born again means saying “yes” to the surprising and uncomfortable—and even painful—contractions of the Spirit. Again and again.
