Dear Uncertain Homeschooling Mama,
I wish I could give you a hug right now.
And just maybe have a chat over coffee.
Because though I’ve been doing this for seven years, I still face so much uncertainty. And I’m not sure, but I kind of think there’s no end in sight.
Because it’s that important.
I’m often unsure about our curriculum.
About my methods.
About our schedule.
About their activities.
About whether my kids are getting the right things. Whether they’re getting…enough.
I haven’t yet met a homeschooling mom who doesn’t experience uncertainty in her role. Don’t get me wrong, homeschooling is at times fulfilling, delightful, and exhilarating. But at other times, it’s frustrating, demanding, and exhausting.
And I don’t know about you, but those times can lead me to question my calling altogether.
I’m grateful that there are many good places we can find reassurance at times like these. Aren’t you? It hasn’t always been so.
These days, we can turn to our husbands. Our friends. Our extended family members. Local homeschool organizations. Good books. Even online forums, blogs, and communities.
But there’s one Person to whom we can turn who is leaps and bounds better than the rest: the One who called us to this task in the first place.
Can I just whisper to you a word of reassurance that has been spoken over me so gently by our Father?
You see, God has a lot to say about the role parents play in the lives of their children. But there’s a passage that’s particularly powerful for homeschooling moms like you and me:
“So Christ Himself gave the…teachers, to equip His people for works of service,
so that the body of Christ may be built up
until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God
and become mature,
attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
Ephesians 4:11-12
Did you catch the significance of those first six words?
“So Christ Himself gave the teachers.”
Do you know what that means, dear teaching mom? It means that you are a gift presented by Christ Himself to your children.
You know those good gifts our God delights in giving to His children (Matthew 7:11)?
You’re one of those.
Christ Himself gave the teachers…
So that His people (your children) will be equipped for works of service.
So that the body of Christ as a whole may be built up by your children’s contributions to it.
So that we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God.
So that we all become mature.
So that we all eventually reach the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Do you see the progression here? As we teach our children, they are equipped. As they are equipped and then grow and begin serving, the body of Christ is built up. As we teach and they learn and then they serve and teach others, unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God is accomplished. And as that unity is formed and we continue teaching and learning and serving together, maturity is reached and the whole measure of the fullness of Christ is attained.
All of that explosive growth in Christ’s church starts with a teacher.
Dear Mama, it starts with you.
And isn’t that enough to bolster any uncertain heart?
Heavenly Father, what a blessing it is to be able to teach my children! Thank you for the freedom to do so. I praise You for using me to build Your church as I invest in the lives of my children. Please enable me to fulfill this sacred calling in a way that brings You glory and spreads Your fame. Please give me an eternal perspective that looks ahead to the harvest. Amen.
*This post was originally posted by Jennifer Clarke at UpsideDownHomeschooling.com. It has been transferred here for archival purposes.
