Daily Focus - May 2009

"Be content with such things as ye have" (Hebrews 13:5b).

For twenty-five years I have looked forward to uninterrupted nights, a house that stays neat longer than five minutes after I clean it, and a noise level below one decibel. As much as I loved my four children and teaching them at home, these were the things I longed for while we homeschooled. Now, years later, the very things that were so important are mine in abundance. However, the empty nights seem uninteresting, the house has no reason to be clean, as it sits empty all day, and the quiet is agonizingly loud. My foolish dreams of yesterday have come true, and I chastise myself for trading productive moments with my family for grumbling and complaining....

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"For without me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5b).

As I watched my daughter practice the piano, I knew I had made another mistake as a homeschooling parent. Assuming my limited experience with a few childhood piano lessons was enough to guide me, I began to teach my daughter how to play. However, the more we continued in my daughter's new interest, the more I realized my inadequacies as a proper piano instructor. Motivated by pride and a lack of finances to hire a qualified teacher, I continued teaching until my young daughter stopped playing and asked, "Mom, do you really know what I'm supposed to be doing?"...

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"A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city" (Proverbs 18:19a).

I'm not sure how the bad feelings began between my oldest and youngest child. Considering the fact they were both strong-willed, I suppose a conflict was inevitable. Whenever I needed my daughter's help in watching her brothers and sister, she was determined to make her little brother mind — no matter what. My young son, however, had other ideas. Resenting his sister's bulldog methods of control, he tested her authority every chance he got. Homeschooling became difficult, as I could never trust either of them together alone for any length of time. One day I finally asked my daughter, "Why don't you just talk nicely to your brother? Things get done so much easier when you speak with honey instead of vinegar."...

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"So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations" (Psalm 79:13).

Although Memorial Day (originally called Decoration Day) is a day for remembering those who have died in our nation's service, our homeschooling family observed this holiday like many other families. Visiting the gravesites of loved ones, my children decorated their headstones with a tribute of flowers. In many cases, my young children never knew the family members, and I would answer countless questions about their lives. I never tired of telling them about uncles, aunts, and great-grandparents and the special significance of their lives....

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"When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path" (Psalm 142:3a).

My son was sitting at the kitchen table, staring out the window with workbooks and other schoolwork scattered around him in a semi-circle two inches deep. I had given him multiple assignments for that week, and I also knew he had several long papers uncompleted from the week before. In addition, he needed to study for upcoming quizzes and tests. As I reminded him of everything that was due by Friday, I could see despair shutting down his mind. As he sat there looking forlorn, I gave him a hug and said, "Is there something I can help you with to get started?"...

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"There is no new thing under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9b).

As I homeschooled my children, I was surprised to find myself reliving many of the same frustrations I experienced as a young student. One day, I watched as my daughter struggled to solve a story problem in algebra. As she tried to identify the unknown variables in the problem, she cried, "Mom, I just don't get this!"...

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The most important influence on your homeschooled child is the environment in which he grows. When parents demonstrate a healthy relationship between each other and the Lord, a child's perspective about himself and his world is influenced for good. Parents who fear the Lord and live according to His Word have a far greater impact on homeschooling's success than parents who worry about having the best curriculum or the latest computer. Giving your child a Christian education, therefore, requires a homeschooling parent to be completely in line with God's will....

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Are there items in your house that have special meaning to your homeschooling family? Surprisingly, the object my adult children remember the most from our homeschooling days was our kitchen table. It was just an old table beat up with scratches and scars, but it represented the heart of our family. As wide as it was long, this sturdy old table was big enough for everyone's schoolwork and craft projects. For twenty years, it supported the life and love of our homeschooling family, as it brought us together to play, eat, and learn....

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If you've ever felt guilty about past homeschooling failures, you're not alone. Many parents have known setbacks with over-scheduling, under-planning, and teaching unfamiliar courses. However, the worst failures experienced as homeschooling parents aren't related to academics or schedules. Our worst failures come when we fail to show the love of Christ. Losing our patience and becoming irritable with our children, we speak harshly and suffer regret and remorse for foolish words and actions. Afterwards, even though we confess our sin, we fail to accept God's forgiveness and torture ourselves with our mistakes until we quit homeschooling altogether....

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"A double minded man is unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8).

How many times have you doubted your decision to homeschool — one, two, ten, more? I lost count on the number of times I failed to trust in God's provision and care. As a Christian parent, I knew we would never succeed if I continually allowed my emotions to be tossed around each time something went wrong. Doubt may be a natural human response, but either God had shown me to homeschool or He hadn't. Instead of looking at the waves of adversity, God asked me, "Will you walk by faith and trust in My leading?"...

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