My journey to homeschooling is different than most. It started in fourth grade. I had been going to the same Christian school since kindergarten. At the end of my fourth grade year, the school began having administrative problems and a lot of families decided to leave the school. For some of us, that meant the local public school (like me), others transferred to other Christian schools and my best friend would begin homeschooling. I had never heard of homeschooling before, but it sounded fabulous to me. I begged my own mother to homeschool me, but sadly, she declined. But...a desire was placed in my heart right then at 10 years old: one day I would homeschool my kids. From that moment on, the seed was planted and I would gladly tell you I will homeschool one day!
And indeed, I am! This will be my 14th year of homeschooling, and I truly love it! It's not always easy, there are many hard days, but the benefits and rewards my family are reaping, are worth it! There is so much I've learned over the years, and I am still learning. That's one of the blessings of homeschooling: we are ALL learning. Each and every day. If you are a homeschool mom, this post is for you. I want to encourage you as you begin this new school year and share with you something I've learned over my many years of schooling: Focus on the heart. I know you are probably neck deep in curriculum choices, lesson plans, and extra curricular activities. You have text books, work books, and craft supplies a plenty. Your closets are overflowing with paper, pencils, scissors, and glue and you are ready to teach some math, guide some grammar, share some history and experiment with science. And all of that is great! It's important, and structure and an organized plan for school is much needed. But.... sometimes with all of that focus on the academics, the lesson planning, and the accumulation of "school stuff", we forget our main focus. We lose sight on what our children really need to be learning while in our care, in our school. The most important lesson we will ever impart on our children is a love for Jesus. That 's the key! That's the one thing we cannot slack on...our children's eternity depends on it! Yes, our kids have to know math, and how to read and write, but if they don't know Jesus, love Him and desire to serve Him for a lifetime....none of that other stuff really matters. Not on the scale of eternity. So this is our chance, Momma, the years we have our kids at home teaching them, training them, learning with them- these are the years we have to show them Jesus. Tell them about Him, tell them what He has done for you, read the Bible to them, tell them how He has blessed your family, how He has provided for you, how He loves them so much that He gave His own life just for them...just to give them an eternal future. As a homeschooler, the education of our children lies solely in our hands. We are completely responsible for what they learn, how they learn and what they choose to do with that knowledge. But....as their parent, our responsibility is even greater. The conditions of their hearts lie solely in our hands. We are responsible for teaching them who God is, how much He loves them, and what great sacrifice He gave for us when He sent His son, Jesus, to die for our sins. It is the utmost important knowledge we will EVER give them. We must not take it lightly! "And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourself wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your foreheads as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." ~ Deuteronomy 6:5-9 I know this is a big calling, Momma, but you can do this! God will give you all you need this year to guide your little ones (and maybe not so little ones) in their education but most importantly He will direct you as you teach your children about God and show them how much He loves them through your dedication to Him. Enjoy teaching your kids! This is a season that will soon be over! Time flies by and your kids will be grown! It's a blessing and a privilege to get the chance to spend your days with the only human beings on earth who look to you for their needs to be met, love to be given, and grace to be shown. What a beautiful picture of Christ, you have the opportunity to be, for your kids! As I am heading into my 14th year of homeschooling and I am looking forward to at least 17 more years of teaching, I reflect on the biggest lesson I have learned: to seek wisdom. Not only for myself, but I've learned the importance of seeking wisdom for my children and teaching them to do the same. God will grant it if you just ask Him for it. "If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking." ~ James 1:5 I'm praying for each of you as you begin your new school year. I'm praying God showers you with His patience, peace, discernment, grace, wisdom, love and mercy as you teach, train, nurture and love your children! "My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to Him. Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy. Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe." ~ Proverbs 2:1-11 Pass this on to your fellow homeschool mom, she may need a bit of encouragement to start the new year! Joyfully His, Andrea
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For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. " AuthorHi! I'm Andrea, wife to my handsome hubby, homeschooling mama to my 7 amazing blessings, and daughter of the King of kings. I am so glad you have stopped by my little piece of the web. My prayer is that the Lord will use this blog to encourage you in your personal, daily walk with Christ. Archives
October 2021
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