"Don't Do It!"

I would much rather not have been there that day.

From the book God Moments III:  True Love Leads To Life (available fall 2012).

     One afternoon when my children were small, the four of us sat in the large waiting room in the offices of a group of physicians in a very nice medical complex.  After we had been waiting a while, I was delighted to see two married friends come through the door.  They saw me as they came in, and we exchanged greetings. 

     They are very lovely people and I was, as always, so happy to see them.  The wife sat down next to me and as her husband signed in, she and I started talking.

     Before very long, my friend absolutely stunned me by saying that they were there because her husband was going to get a vasectomy. 

     I was horrified and without hesitation, said to her very emphatically, "DON'T DO IT!" 

     That plea caused my friend to become very nervous.  I got the sense that she had already been uncomfortable with the decision.  A brief discussion followed; I very ardently reminded her that sterilization is against the will of God, harms marriages, and would likely leave them permanently infertile, even if they had a change of heart later.    

     Our discussion seemed to reinforce what my friend was already feeling.

      At least one of their minds was made up that afternoon, and the husband went ahead and was sterilized.  I felt physically sick for the rest of the afternoon. 

     Only God and the couple know the exact reason(s) why they decided to sterilize their union.  They were young, Catholic, had a large, beautiful home, a steady income, and two beautiful young children. 

     On our way home from the doctor's office that afternoon, I grieved for the couple, their marriage, the children they would never have, their immediate family, their extended family, and even their friends, who all were affected that afternoon by their choice to surgically alter his body so they would never have any more children.

     I also felt very sad for our most loving Creator, Who after all His generosity and with all His knowledge, had been excluded from their decision.

     Sterilization destroys marriages, is a grave offense against the will of God, and affects the human family in ways we can only attempt to fathom. 

     Only God knows how many children have been prevented from being created because their parents refused to welcome these priceless gifts.  Only God knows the impact of so many couples'  choice to contradict His most perfect will.  

 

     With a very heavy heart, I asked the good Lord,"Why did You have me there in the waiting room at the very moment my friends came in to be sterilized?  I am so sad, and would rather not have ever known."

     God has His reasons, and although I was very sorrowful, I trusted His judgment.  Perhaps the couple was given a vital opportunity to hear the truth which they had pridefully rejected.  Most certainly, God had it happen so the story would end up being read by you, all these years later.

© Joseph Karl Publishing 

     To learn more about the benefits of Natural Family Planning, visit:   http://www.ccli.org/