So here's a really random story:
I was grocery shopping. Isaiah was on my back, and the other two littles were in the basket. *I hardly ever go grocery shopping with all the little ones with me. I usually go grocery shopping on Friday mornings, when Neil is home, because well, especially these days, grocery shopping is a pretty big job...
So, I'm at the grocery store on a Tuesday morning with all 3 children.
Out of nowhere, this girl about my age comes up to me and asks
"Hey, did you sing at the Aarron Gomas (benefit concert) thing?"
I had, in fact, sung at the benefit concert with our praise team. But our conversation didn't end there. She then starts asking if I home-schooled. I'm sure by looking at my very tall daughter in the cart, and being a Tuesday morning, it was probably a safe assumption. But most people don't just look at your kids and assume all of a sudden that you home-school.
We got to talking and she also has 3 children, kind of around the same age as ours. They home school as well.
As we continue talking I know that this was no accident. It was a divine appointment that only God could have orchestrated.
Really, I was at a point of just needing wisdom and encouragement with homeschooling. I didn't know what we were going to do with Bella next year for school...and well...we really need to decide now. I was super stressed out about it.
Should we do Kindergarten or First grade?
Should we get her tested?
Should we do full home school, or should we do the university model homeschooling (going to a "private school" 2-3 days a week for 4-5 hours those days, and doing work at home as well)?
Is it possible to do full homeschooling at home with 2 small boys?
If we school at home full-time, where do I even begin with a curriculum? We've tried so many, it seems, and haven't really liked any of them.
The reason I was burdened was just because I really feel like God has shown me through his Word what I need to be doing. I feel like I should have Bella home full-time. I just kept looking at the obstacles. In my flesh, I wanted to give in. I wanted to send her away for a couple of hours a week, so I could "make sure to get one-on-one time with the boys", and possibly get a little bit of a "break". But really, those were just excuses. In reality, I wanted to give in so that somebody else could choose the curriculum for me, and just tell me what I needed to do.
Pretty much I was giving in because it just seemed too hard.
I wanted to be spoon-fed instead of relying on the Spirit of God and His Strength and Wisdom for our family.
But all the while, the Holy Spirit has been tugging at me. Reminding me why we chose home school in the first-place: So that Neil and I could be the most prominent influence in our children's lives. So that we could instill the Word of God into every part of our children's lives as God's Word grows and is taking over every part of our lives. And doing that in an environment where we aren't competing with the value system of the world day in and day out.
Back to my story. So this girl I met at the grocery store, after our conversation, finds me on Facebook, and sends me a wealth of information that she had found. I told her I just felt overwhelmed.
Then she sent me this book recommendation. I had no idea what it really was, but got it anyway.
I'm so glad that I did.
I feel like I'm reading a Bible study specifically made for home educators. Encouragement. Scripture references everywhere.
But really, what I love is that they get to the heart of homeschooling.
"Your overriding goal should be to raise spiritually mature children who have both the will and the skill to learn and the desire and ability to keep learning...to raise well-rounded, spiritually grounded, truth-founded Christian children whose goal in life is to make a difference for the kingdom of God, whatever life path they choose."
They talk about how "home school" is just an extension of nurturing and discipling your children in your home. It all fits together in a beautiful, God-intended way.
And that is where my heart has been led. And that's why I've been stressed-out. Because even with present-day homeschooling, so much of it looks so similar to what they would receive in a classroom. Curricula coming out of your ears. Too many options. Stressing about if I'll do a good enough job in teaching them.
The problem is that I was still looking to the standards, philosophies, and thinking of the world.
My standard should be higher.
There isn't really a lot of mentioning of education in scripture. But we know that Jewish boys were sent to synagogue school - and had to memorize the entire Torah! They memorized it so that they could then dig deeper into God's word and apply it...and for those who were so gifted - teach it.
But we also can see how much was taught in the home. Just simply looking at Deuteronomy 6 shows how God wants us to teach our children - in everything we do - day in and day out - no matter where we are or what we are doing.
"The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and hen you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:4-9And that's what I long to do.
I am, by no stretch of the imagination, there yet.
Honestly, right now, I'm still seeking wisdom on what specifically to do for school next year.
But that's just the tip of the iceberg.
God is showing me so much in such a small amount of time on how he wants me to disciple my children.
That it is a mission field.
That it is a sacrifice.
It takes dying to self in every area of my life, because I am to be an example of Christ to them.
It's dying to self, taking up my cross, and following Christ the same way I would if God called me to minister to anyone outside of my family.
It doesn't mean I'm perfect, and lack of perfection is that much more of an opportunity to share Christ with my children. To humble myself yet again, and ask for forgiveness.
So it's like I've had this big-picture idea of what God wants for us, but I've had no idea how to get there.
Seems like this book is a great start.
And I never would have known about it without the help of my new friend I met at the grocery store :)
"My God shall supply all your need." Philippians 4:19
