Part three in a series of Kirsten Bublitz’ experience taking the Fifth Vital Sign classes through the Office of Natural Family Planning. Catch up on earlier articles, part one and part two.
“Charting can turn into a prayer. Bring your charts to the Lord,” NFP instructor, Beth Kopczyk said to a class full of women during the third 5th Vital Sign course. She’d just shared her testimony, and I felt my heart being moved to do just as Kopczyk recommended, to include the Lord in my charting experience, even while being single with no possibility of children in this season.
Kopczyk’s words reminded me of all the times I’d brought my sorrows to the Lord related to my cycle, going to Him in frustration with the body that He gave me, not understanding at the time the signs my body was giving me and telling me that something was off.
Later in the class as Haley Yeager, another NFP instructor with the diocese, went on to explain menstrual bleeding and more signs the body gives us, I couldn’t help but think of all the signs my body gave me years ago. I thought back to those days of frustration when I didn’t understand my body and left feeling broken, like the Lord had given me something unfixable. And the worst part, for much of my tumultuous high school and college days, I felt like I didn’t have an OBGYN who could advocate for me and help me solve what I thought were problems. I sometimes went months without menstruating and other times menstruated so much that it scared me.
After years of not understanding my body, I felt led to Morning Star OBGYN, even though I was living in Flagstaff, Ariz. at the time. After my first appointment at Morning Star, for the first time, I saw that my body wasn’t the problem. And now after taking this class, I’m starting to see that my body was giving me signs all those years. How blessed we are to live in a diocese that has options for women to seek help that isn’t just putting a bandaid on the signs the body is giving us but is listening to those signs and seeking solutions.
Ever since Kopczyk suggested to turn my charting into a prayer, I’ve realized that I haven’t fully thanked the Lord for all He’s done to help me understand my body. It was easy to go to Him when I was distraught, confused and trying to “fix” my body. But how quickly I forget the little blessings of having a regular cycle and ovulating monthly and not having debilitating menstrual pain. I feel invited to go to Him with all I’ve learned in this class and praise Him for the beautiful body He gave me that is constantly speaking a language and showing me signs of His love.
