This week has been hard, with copious amounts of tears shed by me, as we finish out these last few weeks of homeschooling underneath the banner of a school district. I battle between my people (teacher)-pleasing tendencies as I push kids to finish assignments versus my desire to focus on the foundational skills I know they need.
Things like learning the lost art of handwriting a letter to their great grandma. Teaching keyboarding skills because pecking away on a keyboard with one finger has become a pet peeve of mine. Learning multiplication through Times-Tales because rote-memorization is not for everyone. Spending the day on a dirt road in the forest, teaching them how to drive a truck. Encouraging D to put pen to paper, writing the book series he daydreams about, ant colonies battling for the Lost Territory of the Sun.
But while I want to rush this chapter to a close, I am reminded that with God, there is purpose in all seasons of life, even the moments that are long and hard.
I believe God is using this season to grow my character and faith in Him. He’s helping me stop searching for other’s approval and instead choose to believe what He says about me. That my worth isn’t found in being perfect or making teachers and other people happy. My worth {and yours} is found in God’s love for us.
I’m not saying that’s easy. But I have a choice here. Either I can continue 100% people-pleasing, making kids finish everything which leads to more tears than can be good for our mental health. Or maybe I could ask God for wisdom on which assignments the kids need to complete and which to let go of. And then actually let them go. Ugh, just the thought brings on anxiety. But if I believe the Bible to be true, then I need to believe that I’m not a failure because I didn’t do something exactly right. I need to take a step of faith, believing that God will show me the way and that He also gave me wisdom as a mom to know what the best thing for my children is.
Faith is filled with choices and scary moments. It’s also filled with the reassurance that God’s got me and loves me, regardless of the issues I struggle through. And He’s got you too. During this season of no-other, He is with you and just wants you to come to Him with your anxiety, fear, people-pleasing tendencies, whatever you are walking through – He is there for you.
Well said… as I continued to homeschool thru the years it has always been a struggle to know what to teach. There is just a wealth of information. I think Kevin Swanson said it best. If all we did for the day is study the Bible it was a good day. That said, finding your child’s gifts and teaching to that and giving them what they need to be a productive adult is what homeschooling is about, with always the emphasis I’m loving Jesus.
Thanks Amy for sharing these words of encouragement and opening up about the struggle of so much information even before COVID! And I needed the reminder about finding the child’s gift and teaching to that. Sometimes I have to pray to see what those giftings are because it is easy to lose sight of that. Your girls turned out great!! I love seeing their FB posts.
One of my favorite bible verses is Psalm 46:10. Be still and know that I am God! Use this quiet time in our lives to reflect and listen to God. Education comes in all ways. Teach love and kindness. Respect of nature and adventure Give yourself and you children a break. Sending you a virtual hug. Aunt Jane
Thank you so much Aunt Jane for your encouragement and virtual hug! I just told Stacy last week that I probably weekly refer to the wisdom you gave me years ago “just make the best decision you can with the information you have on hand and don’t regret it”. Love ya’ll so much!
Amen!
Thank you Carey! I’m glad you liked it.
My children are now adults. I home-schooled them decades ago, and I remember the pressure I placed on myself, that God never did. His presence and grace filled the gaps. Fast forward to the present, and my children speak of those home-schooling days as some of their best memories. And they both made it with flying colors and are college graduates. May we all anchor into His peace during this uncertain time.
Thank you Priscilla for sharing this and for being honest about the pressure you placed on yourself. I’ve told myself that true home-schooling under my own terms would have no pressure but after your comment, I’m reminded that pressure is our natural human instinct and instead we have to ask God what he wants us to do each day. Thank you!