Daily Focus

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image” (Exodus 20:3-4a).

Somewhere in my homeschooling experience, my children became the focus of not only my day, but also my entire life. I found myself thinking of their needs constantly and became self-absorbed in making their lives happy and successful. Although a measure of this devotion and attention was appropriate, there was a surplus of affection that was being misdirected. My children had become my idols, whom I worshiped with all my energy and time....

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"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Psalm 90:12).

"Dot-to-Dot" lessons were some of my children's favorite math worksheets. Each time we used the dot-to-dot method to review counting in our homeschool math lesson, my children excitedly followed the dots and guessed what the picture would be when they were done. However, in their excitement to finish, sometimes they would hurry too fast. They would count incorrectly, miss a number, and the result would be a distorted picture. Forced to start over, they would begin again and count more carefully until they finally exclaimed, "Look at what I made!"...

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“The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations” (2 Peter 2:9a).

From the time my children were old enough to understand, fire drills were part of our homeschool safety lessons. Sounding the smoke alarm, I instructed each child how to escape in the event of a house fire. My children always thought it was great fun to climb out their bedroom window and meet outside at our flag pole. In fact, they each learned their escape routes so well that it only took a matter of seconds to vacate the house....

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“For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me” (Psalm 51:3).

As a homeschooling family, does it seem like your laundry is an endless assignment that never gets completed? As my son and I finished the last load one morning before starting school, my daughter walked in with yet another basket of dirty clothes. With his sense of accomplishment deflated once again, my son turned to me and said, “I think taking care of dirty laundry is like fighting against sin. There’s always one more waiting to be cleaned.”...

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Do you remember the first time your baby smiled at you? How about your baby’s first tooth, his first word, and his first step? As parents, we treasure these precious moments and record, photograph, and preserve them in our children’s baby books. However, God has given additional “firsts” to homeschooling parents—our child’s first ABC’s, first time counting from one to ten, first book read alone, and more! All these first experiences with our children are lasting memories that are priceless....

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"Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD" (Psalm 31:24).

Let's face the facts. There are some people who shouldn't homeschool their children. For whatever reason, they lack the resources or ability to teach, and their children would do better in a conventional school setting. However, there is another side to the coin. Many parents who should be schooling their children at home are not. Responding in fearful apprehension, they use the excuse, "It's great others can homeschool, but I could never do that!" The status quo or their own inhibitions have convinced them of failure while God waits for them to believe in His wisdom and guidance for success....

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"Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth" (Psalm 46:10).

Have you ever started your day sensing something was wrong with your homeschooling? As I crawled out from under the covers, I knew we needed to set the academics aside and let the day just happen. Our family relationships had been growing distant, the stress level had been building, and our homeschooling was feeling more like a chore than a blessing. Our family needed to experience the joy of being together again. Phonics rules, spelling words, and algebraic equations could wait. Today, I simply wanted to enjoy my precious children and play....

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Homeschool disciplining would be easier if, like new clothes, our children came with a label. Directions would clearly state whether to use hot (spanking), warm (time out), or cold (grounded) water and when to line dry (take away privileges) or tumble dry (extra chores/community service). Unfortunately, our children don't come with wash and wear tags. We must rely on the Lord's wisdom to guide us when correcting and instructing our children in obedience....

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Every August, our homeschooling year started the same way. After the brown delivery truck left our driveway, four excited children would eagerly tear open the boxes of curriculum. Workbooks and teacher's guides would be laid on the floor and quickly checked against the packing slip. Then, like opening gifts on Christmas morning, my children would delightfully spend the rest of the day thumbing through the pages of their new curriculum. Inevitably, the fresh, colorful workbooks caused everyone to become so motivated that we began homeschooling the very same day....

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Distractions can eat up a day of schooling faster than you know, and there seems to always be plenty of them. Many days I've wondered, "Where did the time go?" The time I lost was usually spent on things that seemed beneficial or constructive. One of these was the temptation to answer the phone. After all, it may be an emergency, right?...

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