Renewing

 Ever hit a place in your life where it's obvious that change is coming?

 

We are at a transitioning stage in our homeschool journey. It is uncomfortable and intimidating, but the more I pray about it the more I am finding peace and seeing where God is leading.

I want to renew the life of this blog, and focus on encouraging other homeschool moms. 

So this is a short post to let my (very few) readers know that, if the Lord allows, I will be posting much more regularly and sharing some prayerful, scriptural encouragement for us moms in the trenches of homeschooling. 

 

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he shall not depart from it.

~ Proverbs 22:6

 

This verse has been on my heart and mind for many weeks. I know it isn't a promise of salvation, nor that your child will do everything right - if only we train them right. 

We have a responsibility to train up out children, but their fate is not solely in our hands. We train, they choose, and God ultimately will work all things for His glory and the good of those who love Him.

I'm still praying about what exactly that means for my family, and perhaps how I can encourage you also. That verse is simmering in my heart and my Spirit.

 

May God bless you this week, and may you turn to Him for guidance in every situation. 

Confession

Maybe I’m just weak - a weak, pathetic excuse for a Christian. That wouldn’t surprise me one bit, I know my limitations. I know how unworthy and flawed I am. If everyone else knew what I know about myself....

-_-

Well, you may find out something about me in this post. I pray you don't hate me for it.

Confession: The hardest part (for me) about this whole COVID-19 thing has been the lack of consistent church attendance.

It’s not the sermons - I have plenty of access to sermons. I know I can download them, watch on YouTube or whatever. I even have multiple CDs of preaching from Camp Meetings in the past.

It’s not Sunday School - believe me, as a Sunday School teacher, while part of me misses teaching, there’s the flesh that is rather enjoying not having to get a lesson together every week. (See why I say I’m a pathetic?)

It’s not the music - between the internet, radio, and the 200+ CDs I own, music is plentiful. I also am capable of playing both the guitar and dulcimer (not simultaneously) so I can participate in making music at home.

No, it’s not the “churchy” things you can upload and share via the internet.

It’s the fellowship, the community of Christians, that I need.

Yes, I am an introvert. I have, overall, LOVED the extra time at home.

But we need community.

I need community.

I need encouragement. I need accountability. I need to know that I’m not alone. I need to know someone cares. I need personal encounters that actually matter.

I don’t do small talk.

I don’t open up easily.

It takes a LONG time for me to confide in anyone.

When I spend time away from people, I close back up. I’ve tried not to, but I’ve not figured out how to be different. This is harmful, I know, but I don’t have the strength to change.

I also have trouble processing the evil in this world by myself. I see/hear news, but without conversation it’s easy to feel like it isn’t real. Without Christian conversation, it’s easy to get the wrong attitude about it.

And, maybe I’m strange, but if the conversations don’t happen face-to-face, in person, then they don’t feel quite genuine to me. Zoom, Skype, all these things are useful and helpful, but they also allow me to hide. In person conversations... well, I can still hide, but when people start to get to know me they begin to see through my barriers. It’s uncomfortable, but I also recognize it is needful.

I feel like I’ve been separated from my flock with no way to go back home.

Probably because I have.

I feel like I'm wandering, slogging through a miry bog.

Personally, this is why I see the church family, a community of Christians, as essential.

‘Cause I doubt I’m the only one.

Hebrews 10: 23-25

“23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

Quarantined Homeschooling?

I see a BUNCH of posts about how public school families are dealing with being home - and advice for them (relax and reach out to your homeschooling friends, we'd LOVE to help!)

I read a lot about how homeschool families are dealing with the change (video lessons and such)

Then there's us. Interestingly, not much has changed for us, even with all the restrictions. 
Our CC group is not meeting, but we were already scheduled for spring break this first week.
Church was cancelled Wednesday night - waiting to hear about Sunday. I personally found that strange considering we don't hit 50 people on a "good" Sunday, there's usually only about 12-15 there on Wednesday nights.

But really, otherwise we're running a normal schedule here. My husband is not off work/working from home. We don't do a lot of "extras", so when things shut down we barely notice.
~ Except the grocery. I ran out of some basic and went to the store... wow y'all, can we chill? All I have to say is I'm glad I can make my own bread.

Back to the point....

Is my family the only one running basically the same schedule as they did before?

We don't "have more family time" or "use social media/video chat" to connect and have classes.

Nope.

 (had to post this, it's so true!)

So, if you're like me, is there something "different" you can do?

Well, I'm taking advantage of the massive amount of "free stuff" now available. YouTube uploads from zoos, author/illustrators, etc. My girls have fallen in love with art tutorials.

We're cooking/baking - and by "we" I mean my 7 year old is really getting some hands-on experience. She cooked hers and her sisters dinner on Monday. We baked Irish Soda bread yesterday. We'll make a cake tomorrow. We learned how to transform tomato paste into pizza sauce and had individual pizzas for lunch (tortillas, sauce, cheese, voila!).

I'm DIYing more things (cloth baby wipes for the WIN!)

I still make them have nap/quiet time, because of my own sanity. But instead of prepping the next day like a madwoman, I'm writing devotional entries and knitting.
~ Yes, knitting. I'm an avid crocheter, but for some things knitting works better and I have a few projects I've pushed aside for too long)

So maybe you're schedule has been completely changed. If so, then this post really isn't for you.

But if you're like me and discovered that being "forced" to stay home most of the time is pretty much your normal, let me encourage you.

You're fine. Your children are fine.  Could you still slow down some? Possibly, but don't stress about it.  While everyone else is finding a new "normal", revel in the fact that God has blessed you with the life you have. It's good to not be crazy and have your world turned upside down.

It's a blessing.

One day at a time.

Maybe, just maybe, you're doing something right. 

Matthew 6:34

Emotions and the Truth

Many females struggle to differentiate between what their emotions tell them and reality. Anxiety, stress, worry. Feelings of insufficiency, unimportance, inadequacy. I could go on and on, but there’s no need. You know what I’m talking about. 

We as moms (women) struggle, no matter how “stable” or “grounded” we seem. 

How does this relate to homeschooling and the Spirit?

In every way.

See, when we struggle, our children pick up on it. Sometimes in big ways, sometimes it’s subtle. 

How are we, as moms, dealing with this struggle of our emotions and the truth?

How are we teaching our children to deal with the struggle?

Here’s where I, personally, am coming from in this battle.

My emotions are something I have in abundance, yet tend to shove away with a forceful hand and try to ignore. After all, how often are they logical and in tune with reality?

But, they persist, always popping up when I least want them. Most of the time I feel guilty that I have illogical feelings.

-Cause that’s a logical response...

I have three girls, and the last thing I want is for them to struggle with any of the emotional issues I mentioned at the start of this blog entry. 

Yet, I’m on the other end of the spectrum. I’ve just recently come to terms with the fact that we have emotions we can’t control - and that’s ok. 

You see, what matters isn’t necessarily how we feel, but how we deal with those feelings. 

We can wallow in them, let them take over. 

We can ignore them.

We can also give them over to God and say

“Lord, this is how I feel. I don’t know what to do with the feelings, please help me see the truth and properly deal.”

I have to teach my children that it’s ok to feel, to have emotions and recognize them, but it’s not ok to let them take over or to feel guilty that we have emotional responses to things. 

I have the responsibility of teaching my children something I am still learning.

Where can I learn? I must turn to the Spirit- to God. Only in God can I learn to balance what I feel with truth, because only in God can I find truth. 

http://thedailyverses.blogspot.com/2012_07_01_archive.html?m=1

Lies we believe

“Life is not about being happy all the time, but about finding the joy in all the chaos and crazy.”

“You’re an overcomer”

“You’ve got this”

“You’re stronger than this”

Ever get tired of lies carefully clothed as Christian truths?

I do! 

Yet they are everywhere. Literally. Christians are mixing the gospel with self-help and discerning the truth is becoming difficult. 

This is a homeschool issue. Where will my children learn the importance gospel truth if not at home?

If I live life as though self-help and motivational speeches/posters are what gets me through, my children will do the same 

So, how about some scriptural truths?

God’s mercy is new every morning. 

In Christ is fullness of joy.

I am incapable and weak, but God is strong.

God’s love for me is eternal.

Grace is sufficient.

This is a small list, yet encompasses so many areas of life.

See, what I think, what I believe in to motivate me daily, is important. 

Am I believing lies, or truth? 

(Photo from michaelnoyes.com via image search)

Grace or Peace

The Grace of God

The Peace of God 

What’s the difference? 

So, I did a study on the Peace of God this past week (focusing on Philippians 4:6-8 with other scriptural references).

I learned that, in general, the Peace of God, the Greek word eirene, is a unifying, restful peace. 

Our mind and heart join together with the will of God. We don’t have those internal struggles with ourselves and with what we know God wants. We don’t struggle against God. We have a restful unity with Him. 

Which made me wonder - isn’t that how we use the term grace?

“Lord, give me grace to deal with this.”

This hard time, difficult person, etc.

I guess people use grace that way because of II Corinthians 2:9, where Paul was telling about a trial he has endured and prayed for relief, but God’s answer was simply “...My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness...” and Paul then concluded “...Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Yet the word grace there is no different than the word used all throughout the New Testament in a completely different context - the one of God’s unmerited favor in granting is salvation. 

Grace, in the Greek text, is the word charis. It means an act of favor, unmerited, deserving thanks. 

Remember Ephesians 2:8? 

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:”

The grace of God that is sufficient to get us through hardships is the salvation He grants us through faith. 

Remembering this should then put us in a worshipful mindset. 

Philippians 4:6-7 says

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

When we dig deeper into this, we see that when hard times come, it is God’s grace, His gift of salvation, that leads us to His peace. 

In prayer (worshipful conversation according to the Greek), supplication (humble request) with thanksgiving for ALL He has done, we can request help for our problems. 

Then, the peace of God will unify our heart and mind with Him and get us through in a way we can’t even have imagined or asked for.

A peace, calm, that goes beyond our understanding.

So really, when we say “I need grace for...” what we really mean, in Biblical terminology, is “I need peace...”

Here is why I’ve been trying to study more in this topic and get a better understanding. 

My youngest (outside the womb) is a very difficult child. Stubborn, disobedient, you name it. We have struggled in almost every aspect of life in her nearly four years. From sleep, eating, listening, potty training... I could go on and on. She is also on the slightly hyper side of normal and high energy children is something I don’t always handle well.

Discipline doesn’t seem to work with her personality, and neither does bribery. There are times I seriously feel like giving up.

• Don’t worry, I haven’t.

People always say “you get grace when you need it, for the time you’re in.”

Perhaps that’s so, but I’m wondering if we are missing something so much more beautiful. 

I have God’s grace always. I struggle with peace in the moment(s) of trouble. 

I would much rather allow God’s grace to put me in the right attitude to allow His peace to fill my heart, mind, and soul. 

Every day

Every moment

Every situation

So that when I butt heads with my blessing of a stubborn youngin’, peace abounds and God’s grace is visible. 

Homeschooling During Hardships

Disclaimer: This is just my story. In no way do I want pity, nor claim that this is the hardest thing anyone has gone through.

So, let me tell you the story before I get to how homeschooling looked during this mess.

This is our second year homeschooling, and I started off strong.  I even updated this almost every month for a while.

Then, my dad had surgery; vascular bypass in his right leg.  The surgery went very well, he went to a local rehab facility to get walking again.  After a month and a half they were satisfied and he was sent home. 
     Problem: he was semi-neglected while there.  His wife and I visited almost daily and tried to stay on top of the staff, but he still got some bad bed-sores.
One week after returning home (during that week, home health never came out to work with him) he went to his family doctor and was referred to a wound clinic because of the sore on his left heel.
Gangrene was the diagnosis, more surgeries scheduled.
After 3 surgeries over the course of a week, they managed to save his foot. He had to go back to rehab though, because he had to learn to move around without bearing weight on that one foot.

Needless to say, we went to a different rehab facility.
He was there for almost two months. It was a LOOONG drive from my house, but we were there almost every day, staying on top of the staff and keeping him company as he was bed-bound.
     ~ Side note: around this time I discovered I was expecting, and if you know my history with pregnancies you know the stress this added to my life. It's a blessing , but also  a time of worry and uncertainty.
Anyway, suddently his Medicare stopped paying and they had to send him home. We had 10 days notice to prepare the house and line up equipment and home health care.
We went with a different home health agency than before, and they came out the day he got home to help up work the equipment sent to the house (which was not right for him) and were awesome. Dad was improving greatly under their care.

Unfortunately, two weeks after he gets home this time, as we were getting him up for a scheduled doctor appointment, he became unresponsive. The EMS crew worked on him for over 30 minutes but couldn't bring him back.  They said it was a lung aneurysm.

So then, we had to do all the funeral stuff, find his will, and now I am executor of said will and we have a long ways to go.

6 months, my daughters and I were traveling 30ish minutes (one way) almost every day to care for my dad. Dare I admit that "school" was very...  well, I'm not sure the right word for it.

Some weeks, I managed to be organized enough to take school work with us to do in the car (because doing work in the room with my Dad watching TV wasn't happening). Other times, I didn't.

We did meet weekly with out CC group, and doing the memory work in the car was a piece of cake. Most of the past 6 months that's all we did.

I could look back and wonder about all that my children missed.  My youngest did pretty much nothing, but she's preschool age and has plenty of time to learn her ABCs and whatnot. My oldest did "fall behind" in her spelling and math - in the sense that we just couldn't work on it.

Then, I think about it more.

These past 6 months, though challenging, have been a great blessing. My children spent a TON of time with their Papa. I spent time showing them that, even when it's inconvenient, taking care of family is IMPORTANT. My dad didn't have a lot of family in the area.  His wife has health problems, as does her daughter. My sister and half-brother live far away. I'm the most able-bodied one to help.

So I did, and my children came along.  They watched, they spent time with him, and even if they didn't learn anything academically I pray they did learn something.

Even if they didn't, I learned something.

See, God was with me the entire time. 
He granted me grace and health when my Dad needed someone strong.
God granted my children grace also, because in spite of the crazy schedule and not knowing what would happen, they handled it like champs. You hear stories of how kids behavior changes in stressful times, but honestly my children hardly had issues.
    ~ What a blessing, and it's not because I'm this awesome mom. It's because God is an awesome God.

I've been blessed to have my children with me and my dad each day.

I've been blessed to not be working and therefore able to be with Dad daily.

I've been blessed with a husband who, though an obsessive neat-freak, didn't fuss when the house didn't get taken care of regularly. Or when food was on the table late, or was some frozen dinner when he's used to home cooking. He didn't complain about many other things he dealt with during this time also.

I've been blessed with friends who, during the week+ after Dad died, just jumped up to send me messages of prayer and encouragement. Friends who stepped in to watch my girls last minute while I did funeral stuff (and took them the day he died while I stayed around the house to help my step-mom).

My church family stepped in to help with food and such, even though he wasn't part of our church.

I can't even mention all the ways I have been blessed.

Most of these blessings would have been different/impossible if I were working and my children were in public school. The fact they were with me and I had the freedom of time to devote, made this whole situation work.

So, yes, academically, things didn't go well.

Another benefit of homeschooling.  They can easily "catch up". They learned life lessons that I couldn't teach them otherwise.



So, long post, but let me encourage you of something. If you come across hardships during homeschooling, and you can't "do school" as you planned, that doesn't mean you are failing or your children will never be "at grade level" again.

It means you have the freedom to do what you need to do.  Your children will learn from your example.

Do what God leads you to do.

If you don't do the academics for a month, 6 months, a year, it's ok.  God's got this.  

He's got you, your children, everything in His hands.