Summer, oh how I love you!
From swimming pools to barbeques, vacation time to ice cream cones, summer is overflowing with many of my favorite things.
Though many of us homeschooling moms might like to bury our heads in the sand and not think about school for the entire three months, the part of us that longs to parent intentionally just won’t let us escape so easily.
So we look back on the previous year. And we think. Then we assess. And we plan. And we reassess. And we wonder. And we look ahead. And maybe look around. And we evaluate. And we research. And we worry. And we question. Then we plan some more.
And we finally (and tentatively) make a choice, only to begin questioning it just a few days into the school year.
Sound familiar?
I don’t know about you, but I just want to do this right. I want to make sure my children are equipped for life. Beyond mere survival, I long for them to thrive. Personally, I want to do a job I can be proud of. And more than anything else, I yearn to please my God who called me to this task in the first place.
But here’s the thing…we live in a day and age that’s so “connected” that we’ve never been more aware of what others are doing, what they’re not doing, how long they’ve been doing it, how they like it, how they didn’t like it, why they will or won’t do it again, why they insist this is the best way, the right way, the only way, and why that over there is the worst thing ever.
When you combine this with the overwhelming deluge of homeschooling choices — methods, curricula, resources, supplements, CD’s (not to be confused with CD-ROMs), workbooks, DVD’s, software, websites…
Can you see how this mixture makes for a rather potent combination of comparison, discontentment, doubt, and worry? We have way too many voices in our ears and way too many choices on our plates. There are hundreds of voices for every choice…and then we stumble upon more choices we never even knew about. Here’s where we just need to sit back, take a deep breath, and remember:
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.”
Proverbs 3:5-6
How many of us can quote this verse in our deepest, dreamiest, drooling slumber? But when is the last time we really thought about what it means?
Here’s the short version:
Just ask God. And then believe Him.
That’s really it. It might sound something like this: “Lord, I’m really not sure about our math curriculum, but there are so many options and I have no idea which one would be best. You know infinitely more than I do, and all I want is what YOU want, so please help me choose wisely.”
You’ll still need to do your research and assess and plan and reassess. But all the while, keep reminding Him (and yourself) that you’re trusting Him to lead you, and that you’d like Him to stop you if you’re heading in the wrong direction.
And then believe that He will. Because guess what? Prayer alone isn’t the secret to peace. Believing prayer is.
No, God won’t write “Saxon” in the sky, or tattoo “Charlotte Mason” on your son’s forehead.
But He’ll guide you as you’re looking. He’ll help you eliminate. He’ll bring people into your path. He’ll spark a middle-of-the-night idea in your mind. He’ll nudge you here. He’ll hold you back there. He will guide you.
I can tell you from my own experience and from the authority of God’s Word that when you throw yourself at His mercy, trusting Him to lead you, He will.
So all those other voices out there? Seek them out while you’re researching, but then tell them to take a hike. Because only one voice matters: the voice of the One who called you to this task and will equip you for it.
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More posts for the Christian homeschool mom:
A Letter to Christian Homeschooling Moms
*This article was originally posted by Jennifer Clarke at UpsideDownHomeschooling.com. It has been transferred here for archival purposes.
