There is another syndrome that seems to strike homeschoolers, this time focusing on those who haven't been in the game for long. That is the I'm Not Good Enough (or smart enough or patient enough) to Homeschool. I won't even try to come up with an acronym for that. If you think of a good one, let me know won'tcha?
Last month at my homeschool group's monthly support meeting, it was my turn to share a devotional. I was very excited about it because I knew the Lord wanted me to share this...what I'm going to share here. So I organized it on paper and, wouldn't ya know, I just sat there and talked, never looking at my paper. When I got home, I thought, "I'd really like to turn this into a blog post so I can share all the stuff I missed at the meeting."
There are not many areas in my life where I can say I am confident. That's not because I lack confidence, only that there's not much I do. I'm not particularly skilled in any area. I am confident in my ability to homeschool my children. Before you start thinking I'm an arrogant fool, read why. :-)
Homeschooling is something God wants me to do. I Thessalonians 5:24 says, "Faithful is he that calleth you, who will also do it." Whatever God has called us to do, He is completely faithful. He will give us whatever we need to accomplish the tasks He has given us to do for His glory. All the time. Not just when it's easy. Not just when we feel on top of the world. That would be us doing it in our own strength. Ha! I don't know about you, but I almost always fail when I rely on my own strength to do things. Even on those bad days (or bad months), His grace is sufficient for us. His power is made perfect when we are weak. That is when we learn (sometimes slooowly) to rely on His power,not ours. See II Corinthians 12:9.
There are examples that have given me great hope when I needed it. True stories of the "little people" who did great things, things beyond what they could normally do all because of the mighty, powerful God they serve. I serve that same God. So do you, my friend.
I Samuel 17 tells the story of David. Just little David. Not big, strong, warrior David. Just a little shepherd boy. David was willing to go up against the giant Goliath when all the big, strong warriors were afraid. We find out why here. Read and see the awesomeness that is FAITH. Read and see how David, little untrained David, responded when Saul basically said, "Hey, you're just a little boy. You're not a warrior. You can't do that!"
I Samuel 17: 34-37
But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”
Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”
Let that soak in for a minute. Ahh, I love it. Here is a person admitting that he's not really hot stuff when it comes to being a mean, tough warrior. BUT.....but....His God (remember, OUR God) has never let him down before and he's faced some serious hazards here. Hello? The Lord rescued him from a lion and a bear. This boy here knew, he knew his God was faithful. His God was always there. His God's strength was more than enough.
David knew he did nothing by his own strength, that it was by GOD'S power that he could accomplish anything. He knew no earthly weapon could overcome the power of God.
What giants do you face in your homeschool journey? What giants are you facing in your calling to educate your children at home? Are any of them too big for your God, the same God who David placed his faith in?
Look at the objections to David: "You're too young. You're not a solider/warrior." Compare it to the objections the enemy throws in our faces to thwart us. "You're not smart enough! You're not a real teacher!"
God does not sit around calling those who are good enough to get the job done. No, He calls those who will listen, who will hear His voice. Haven't we all heard the saying, "God does not call the equipped, He equips the called." It is so true.
How about over in 2 Kings 4 where the widow is in trouble. What does Elisha tell her to do? He tells her to do something pretty impossible, doesn't he? (Hint, go over and read the story if you're not familiar with it.) She could have said, "Um, are you crazy? That will never work," but no, she listens and better yet, she acts accordingly.
Again, God will equip us with everything we need to fulfill what He's called us to do. The sooner we learn to trust in His power rather than our own, the better off we'll be.
Now, let's talk about the BS. The Being Behind Syndrome.
When I was a newer homeschooling mama, I struggled with the BBS. Right after I removed my children from school, I was pregnant. So my first year homeschooling was spent being pregnant and the second year was spent with a new baby. Fun stuff, I tell ya.
Slowly, that dirty devil who is the father of all lies started whispering in my ear. "You are behind. The children in school are probably doing x, y, z and you will never catch up. You are ruining your children. It will be all your fault." I struggled because I knew the Lord did not want my children in school. I knew He wanted them home with me.
Finally, after praying and praying, the Lord spoke to me and said, "You are behind. You are behind Me and that is exactly where I want you. Don't worry about what anyone else is doing. Not to mention, I wanted you to take them out of school so who cares what the school is doing."
Well then.
When we are behind the Lord, as in following after Him, we are in the best place we can be. We need not worry about anything else. Not a thing. Even when our ways don't look like the Joneses and our children don't look like the Joneses. You see, everything we as believers of Christ do is for His glory. Not ours. His. Most of the time, when mamas are struggling with BBS, it's because of academics. Now, I'm not saying academics aren't important. I'm not saying sit around and watch soap operas every day and who cares 'bout learnin'. (Soaps operas...ok hopefully you don't watch those. That's for another post, LOL!) But academics are second. Teaching our children about God and His ways is first. Until you get this truth down pat, you will ALWAYS feel behind. Since God does everything for His glory, perhaps He will use our child to bring Him glory in an area that is not highly academic. Who knows, right? God already knows. All we have to do is be behind HIM.
Another common reason we struggle is because of a child who is...how do we say...more difficult. I have one of those. She needs more consistent training/parenting. It's enough to make me wanna pull my hair out at times...until I remember, God knew she would take a lot more time and patience than my other children. He knew this when He called me to homeschool. He wants this child home with me for His glory. I need to constantly rely on His power and not my own. I can do nothing without Him but with Him I can do all things.
Go...be behind! Be behind the One who called you to do the job! You can do it because nothing is impossible with Him.
For His glory alone,
genesis
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