Chad Judice
had a good thing going: a beautiful wife and a teaching job that he loved at a
Catholic school seemed to complete his life.
The idea of fatherhood seemed too much.
So when his wife became pregnant with their first son, it scared him. She was thrilled; he was not. Why mess with a good thing?
had a good thing going: a beautiful wife and a teaching job that he loved at a
Catholic school seemed to complete his life.
The idea of fatherhood seemed too much.
So when his wife became pregnant with their first son, it scared him. She was thrilled; he was not. Why mess with a good thing?
But what
could he do except to put on the happy face of an expectant father. He relieved his stress by being critical and
irritable to his wife. Then, there was
the pornography. It’s not a big deal, he told himself. I’m
only human.
could he do except to put on the happy face of an expectant father. He relieved his stress by being critical and
irritable to his wife. Then, there was
the pornography. It’s not a big deal, he told himself. I’m
only human.
In an
interview, Chad explained that before he experienced fatherhood, his faith and
values were shallow. “My manhood was defined by how successful I was,” he
said. His shallowness surfaced after the
announcement of the pregnancy. The initial news brought him to tears—but not
the kind a father could be proud of. The
world had a stronghold on him. Physical
fitness, personal freedom, control over his life…fatherhood could interfere
with those things.
interview, Chad explained that before he experienced fatherhood, his faith and
values were shallow. “My manhood was defined by how successful I was,” he
said. His shallowness surfaced after the
announcement of the pregnancy. The initial news brought him to tears—but not
the kind a father could be proud of. The
world had a stronghold on him. Physical
fitness, personal freedom, control over his life…fatherhood could interfere
with those things.
Chad pointed
to his weak prayer life as leading the way to moral relativism. “This
allowed me to make choices that led me to the slavery of sin,” he said. He convinced himself that looking at other
women but not touching was okay. With
such thinking, pornography was an easy next step. “In my mind I could control
it, but in reality it was beginning to control me,” he said. “As it says in John 8:34, “I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a
slave to sin.”
to his weak prayer life as leading the way to moral relativism. “This
allowed me to make choices that led me to the slavery of sin,” he said. He convinced himself that looking at other
women but not touching was okay. With
such thinking, pornography was an easy next step. “In my mind I could control
it, but in reality it was beginning to control me,” he said. “As it says in John 8:34, “I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a
slave to sin.”
The birth of
his beautiful, healthy son Ephraim changed Chad’s thinking. He fell deeply in love with both his child and
God. “It hit me like a ton of bricks,” he said.
“If I loved my son this much, how much more does God the Father love
me?”
his beautiful, healthy son Ephraim changed Chad’s thinking. He fell deeply in love with both his child and
God. “It hit me like a ton of bricks,” he said.
“If I loved my son this much, how much more does God the Father love
me?”
But happy
endings are not so easy. Life gets complicated. God soon faded back into the
background and the pornography returned with plenty of excuses: baby fat, a
tired wife, etc.
endings are not so easy. Life gets complicated. God soon faded back into the
background and the pornography returned with plenty of excuses: baby fat, a
tired wife, etc.
When a
fellow teacher invited Chad to get involved in youth ministry at their Catholic
school, he said yes. He realized then,
it was time to also say yes to God. His
growing relationship with God shone a spotlight on Chad’s conscience. It was painful. Prayer and Scripture took over and Chad found
the strength to put the pornography behind him.
fellow teacher invited Chad to get involved in youth ministry at their Catholic
school, he said yes. He realized then,
it was time to also say yes to God. His
growing relationship with God shone a spotlight on Chad’s conscience. It was painful. Prayer and Scripture took over and Chad found
the strength to put the pornography behind him.
Once again,life was good. Even the announcement of
another pregnancy did not rattle him. The first ultrasound did though. His son
had spina bifida. Chad could not imagine
having a handicapped child, but his friendship with Jesus was strong enough now
that he knew where to turn. Jesus became
his strength and guide through this next chapter.
Chad publically
walked the journey of acceptance of his disabled son Eli with two books. Waiting for Eli: A
Father’s Journey from Fear to Faith quickly sold 10,000 copies. So many
people were writing to tell Chad that his story was “life changing” that he
followed up with a second book, Eli’s Reach:
On the Value of Human Life and the Power of Prayer. He could have stopped right there and called
it good. Except there was still one more
hurdle to get over: contraception.
walked the journey of acceptance of his disabled son Eli with two books. Waiting for Eli: A
Father’s Journey from Fear to Faith quickly sold 10,000 copies. So many
people were writing to tell Chad that his story was “life changing” that he
followed up with a second book, Eli’s Reach:
On the Value of Human Life and the Power of Prayer. He could have stopped right there and called
it good. Except there was still one more
hurdle to get over: contraception.
Chad admits
he was willfully ignorant that anything was wrong with using
contraception. Statistics reveal that a
lot of Catholics choose the same ignorance.
It’s not the pope’s business…the Church doesn’t belong in my bedroom…you
can’t expect us not to use some kind of protection….
he was willfully ignorant that anything was wrong with using
contraception. Statistics reveal that a
lot of Catholics choose the same ignorance.
It’s not the pope’s business…the Church doesn’t belong in my bedroom…you
can’t expect us not to use some kind of protection….
God andprayer ruled Chad’s life now. He wanted to be in union with the Church, so he
realized he had to embrace it all, convenient or not. “Humility
awakened within me a need to surrender the one last obstacle keeping Jesus from
being at the center of my marriage, artificial contraception,” he said.
The journey to Natural Family Planning,
according to Chad, was a journey of discovering “who am I and who is God?” “The
transformation in my marriage after giving up contraception has been as dramatic
as the transformation of Eli in our lives.”
according to Chad, was a journey of discovering “who am I and who is God?” “The
transformation in my marriage after giving up contraception has been as dramatic
as the transformation of Eli in our lives.”
By relying
on God, Chad said he finally came to understand what it means to be a man.
“Jesus Christ is the ultimate man’s man. He gave until it hurt and served until
the moment He took his last breadth. His
actions defined the true meaning of love.”
on God, Chad said he finally came to understand what it means to be a man.
“Jesus Christ is the ultimate man’s man. He gave until it hurt and served until
the moment He took his last breadth. His
actions defined the true meaning of love.”
He wants to
tell the rest of the story now so that men cannot so easily slip into moral
relativism, accept pornography or contraception for anything less than the evil
that it is. There is a third book on
this that he hopes to publish soon. “It
is about a friendship with Jesus and being conformed into the man God created
me to be.”
tell the rest of the story now so that men cannot so easily slip into moral
relativism, accept pornography or contraception for anything less than the evil
that it is. There is a third book on
this that he hopes to publish soon. “It
is about a friendship with Jesus and being conformed into the man God created
me to be.”
Chad and
Ashley are joyfully expecting a third son, Ezra Matthew Judice, this July 2014.
To invite Chad as a speaker contact him
at: (337 – 962-3134) Visit his website www.chadjudice.com to learn more and see pictures of his family.
_____________________________________________________________
For more inspiration, check out Big Hearted: Inspiring Stories From Everyday Families. Your children will laugh while learning big spiritual lessons with Dear God, I Don’t Get It! and Dear God, You Can’t Be Serious.
Ashley are joyfully expecting a third son, Ezra Matthew Judice, this July 2014.
To invite Chad as a speaker contact him
at: (337 – 962-3134) Visit his website www.chadjudice.com to learn more and see pictures of his family.
_____________________________________________________________
For more inspiration, check out Big Hearted: Inspiring Stories From Everyday Families. Your children will laugh while learning big spiritual lessons with Dear God, I Don’t Get It! and Dear God, You Can’t Be Serious.
