by Angela Miller
A Season of Preparation, A Promise of Rebirth
March has carried us deeper into the season of Lent, a time of preparation, of quiet surrender, of making space for what is to come.
As I’ve sat in this season, listening to the stories of others and holding my own, I’ve noticed something tender and sacred: Lent often carries this sacred tension of sacrifice, grief, and the quiet hope that something within us or maybe within someone else can be made new. This season of Lent has intention… and there is ache. There is longing… and there is waiting.
And in my mind’s eye, I keep returning to this image:
soil being tilled.
Not comfortable. Not easy.
But necessary.
A breaking up of what is hard and packed down, so that something new can take root.
Personal Preparation: Making Room for New Life
This past March, that image felt especially close to home.
Now, as we step into April, it feels even more real.
Our family is in the final stretch of pregnancy with another baby boy, and our hearts are full as we prepare to welcome him earthside at the end of this month. There is a very real, tangible preparation happening: physically, emotionally, and spiritually, as we ready ourselves to become a family of four.
There is also the quiet preparation of what comes after: postpartum rhythms, slower days, bonding as a family, and holding space for this new life entrusted to us.
I’ll be stepping away for six weeks to rest, recover, and fully enter into this sacred time and I am deeply looking forward to it.
Professional Preparation: A Community Carrying Together
At the same time, there has been a parallel preparation unfolding in my work as I prepare for maternity leave.
I’ve become acutely aware of the gift of the team I work alongside. We are small, but we are unified in a way that feels rare and deeply meaningful.
I not only enjoy working with these women—they are incredibly capable in everything they put their hands to. And more than that, they are willing. Willing to step into parts of my role, willing to stretch, willing to carry more, willing to step into the gaps.
And as I reflect on their willingness to take on additional responsibilities during my absence, I find myself overwhelmed with gratitude.
Because it echoes something far greater.
The One Who Carried It All
In this Lenten season, as we move toward the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, I can’t help but sit in the weight of what He carried.
Not just my burdens.
Not just my sin.
But the weight/sin of the entire world and it’s problems.
He was perfect and innocent—undeserving of that suffering.
And yet, He chose it.
He chose to go to the cross and die for my sins and for the sins of the world, so that those who believe in Him would have eternal life.
There is something deeply humbling about recognizing that even the small ways others carry burdens for us reflect the ultimate sacrifice Christ made on our behalf, on the cross for us so we could live life and live eternally.
It leads me to a place of reverence… and overwhelming thankfulness.
A Season of Birth—In More Ways Than One
As the season shifts from preparation to resurrection this April, I find myself standing in the overlap of both.
Personally, I am preparing for birth!
But I’m also stepping into a new kind of offering as a birth educator and doula—launching a birth course centered on emotional and spiritual health through Transformation Prayer Ministry.
This is something that has profoundly impacted my own life especially with the birth of my first son.
I have seen, again and again, how the Lord uses this prayer process to gently uncover lies we’ve believed—sometimes for years—and replace them with His truth.
Sometimes that shift happens in minutes.
Sometimes it takes time to unravel the layers.
But the result is the same:
freedom, clarity, and a new way forward.
And when it comes to birth, that kind of transformation matters deeply; because, the narrative a mother carries into her birth space, shapes how she will experience it.
And I believe God desires to meet women there with His truth, His peace, and His presence.
The Deeper Rebirth
And still, there is an even deeper layer to all of this.
The resurrection is not just something we remember—
it’s something we live.
Because of Jesus Christ, we have been made new.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” — 2 Corinthians 5:17
“He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” — Titus 3:5
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” — Galatians 2:20
This is the invitation of Easter, of this Resurrection Sunday:
rebirth, renewal, restoration.
Not just once—but continually as we embrace our new identity in Christ!
An Invitation to Extend the Invitation
So as we step into this season of resurrection, I want to gently ask:
Who in your life needs to experience this kind of rebirth?
Who is carrying heaviness right now?
Who is walking through family struggles, personal pain, or professional uncertainty?
Who is longing for hope—whether they can name it or not?
And maybe just as importantly:
What might it look like for you to invite them in?
It could be simple—
an invitation to church,
a conversation over Scripture,
a retreat experience,
a prayer session,
a training.
Sometimes it’s not about having the perfect words—
it’s about extending a simple, faithful invitation.
Because I have seen firsthand what happens when someone encounters the truth of God in a personal way.
I have been a recipient of that kind of transformation.
And it changes everything!
And even if an invitation is not accepted, a seed might be planted. Pray for that seed that the Lord would mature it in His perfect timing.
A Prayer for This Season
As we move toward Easter, my prayer for you is this:
That you would sense the Lord gently stirring your heart.
That you would recognize where He is bringing renewal in your life.
And that you would have the courage to invite others into the same hope.
Lord, who are You placing on my heart to invite into deeper relationship with You?
May this be a season not only of preparation—
but of beautiful, unmistakable rebirth.
Ideas to invite others to:
Retreat at our Bellville Texas Retreat Center
With expectation,
Angela G. Miller
Sacred Life Rhythms