The Hardest Job You’ll Ever Love
Written by Katie Zulanas. Originally published in Family Foundations in 2022.
Oh, how true that is! Whether it refers to parenthood, or marriage, or another vocation, our life’s work, sincerely pursued, inevitably runs into suffering and sacrifice. Your true vocation will be the hardest job you’ll ever love—and despite that–it is worth it!
Postpartum is especially a time that stretches us—sometimes to our limits. Knowing that, a little bit of planning can go a long way to setting you up for success. The postpartum resources of Fertility Science Institute can help with that planning and may be something you can choose to “gift” to a couple before the baby’s arrival. (It is hard to concentrate on learning with a new baby in tow!)
Now is a good time to do a “shout-out” to our wonderful volunteer teaching couples who have graciously specialized in postpartum. Being there to support other couples during this most special, but often stressful time, is one of the very best of CCL’s traditions of service. “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:12) Through their witness and by being available to answer questions and offer a listening ear, a teaching couple can often help new parents weave that third strand—the spirit of God—back into their relationship to protect it against breaking.
This tremendous tradition of service through our vocation of teaching NFP sets Couple to Couple League apart. We are finally seeing the tide turning toward “all natural” fertility awareness methods of family planning after so many years—thanks be to God! With that increased interest we are creating new pathways to meet women and men on their journeys as they have questions about their fertility. By providing good, scientifically based information, and more importantly, good witness to Theology of the Body about such a personal topic, CCL. through Fertility Science Institute, meets its evangelical goals in a unique manner.
We will continue to share with you information about these new outreach opportunities in our YouTube channel each week and in our weekly email newsletters (as well as in Family Foundations.) Please “Subscribe” to our YouTube channel to help us be easily “found” in Google. And keep your eyes open for what your updated CCL vocation might be.