NFP and peace of mind
by TG
Bravo to Kathleen van Schaijik for her April 2002 article, “Abusing NFP”. My husband and I have been married for twelve years and are expecting our eighth baby in another month, but not because we are providentialists!! We have made use of NFP many times during our marriage, and expect to do so again.
As always when using NFP, each marital embrace is open to the Lord’s infusion of a new life. That’s one of the blessings of NFP—God can always “override” our decision and bless us with another child .
We want to raise our children in a happy and peaceful (most of the time it’s actually what we call controlled chaos) household. As we age, we notice a difference in our patience with the noise level, the kids’ arguing, and the need to provide character formation. We can’t just have kids, we must raise them too! We home school our children and have been in contact with various people who have the providentialist attitude, and it is difficult to view oneself as maybe lacking something that they have. Our good Lord leads us though, if we truly seek Him, and lets each couple know how to approach the area of fertility within the Church’s teaching. Thank you, Kathleen van Schaijik, for a thoughtfully written article, and for the peace of mind that ensued after I read your thoughts.
T. G., Akron, OH
