Home of Contented Homeschoolers

"And be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5b).

Because you are a homeschooling parent, chances are your family has given up the two-income dream. You've probably done without in many areas, including new clothes, vacations, and eating out. Have you been noticing how everyone else seems to have much nicer homes and cars than you? Have you been thinking you are being left behind?

If so, don't allow your focus to be blurred. Stand firm against the evil one and his lies. Satan comes to us in our weak moments of frustration and fatigue, and he tries to convince us that everyone else has it better. Maybe if you just got a "regular" job and went back to work, you could get out from under the financial burdens you have. Matthew 6:25 says, "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?"

Trusting God for all your needs to homeschool involves a faith that will continue to be stretched. The extra expenses involved in buying curriculum and school supplies will even add more to that strain. Knowing God will meet those needs, but not always the wants, is the balance homeschool parents must find. God always provides, even if it is only macaroni and hot dogs. If we don't have the latest in fashion or the best house on the block, we still can enjoy life and the wonderful privilege of teaching our children. May we be like the apostle Paul when he said in Philippians 4:11, "For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."

Lord, help me to look to You today for all I need and make me thankful for the many blessings You've already given. Thank You that in Christ, I have all things. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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Comments(28 comments)

SUZANNE L 09/14/2009 05:11:31

This is so true and so important to be reminded of this. With everyone trying to keep up with everytone else, so many have lost sight of what is truley impoprtant. It is so easy to get swept up in all that, that is why God's word and wisdom are a must.

ELIZABETH T 07/19/2010 06:11:28

I have enjoyed the devotionals through aop, I feel that they offer simple truths to help us stay focused. My one concern about these devotionals is the sales pitch half way through to order the devo book. It seems misplaced and inappropriate to have it right in the middle of a devotional reading. I do appreciate these devos though. It is great to hear another mom's story. Thank you for this work.

CAMERA R 07/19/2010 08:28:52

I enjoy the Devotions for AOP. It is amazing how just about any day I read the devotion it is exactly what I need. My background; to be closer to my kids I quit my corporate job to work as an aide in a private school with 2yr olds. BIG CHANGE. But homeschool ideas would not let go in my mind. So, resigning at the end of the year school year (may 2010) I am now in the midst of organizing to start homeschool this fall. Talk about the TEMPTATION OF THE SECOND INCOME.... So many times and even this weekend I remember the income I left behind in the corp world . It was about 40% of our take home income. It is gone. I see what I want to buy and can\'t and think, if I could just have that income again. Growing up in a minimum wage, single parent home in the 70\'s and early 80\'s prepared me for a time such as this (financially). How did my mom do it?? I made it without designer everything. I grew up and I found God. The designers do not lead us to God. Parents often do.. Thank you mommy - RIP...

AOP: Great Devotions!!!!

REBECCA L 07/19/2010 13:05:37

What a blessing to read C.R.\'s comments. It\'s tough giving up that extra money. I have been having a pity party this week, because my husband took a second job and I am solely responsible for all the work at home to include the yard work and trash...and I am homeschooling my two kids. We have been aggresively paying off our debts and that has just left us with \"no\" extra money! So my hubby thought it would be better to pick up a second job in the early a.m. hours to get us through each month. I trust God and seek his love and comfort daily and that has helped so much, I can tell too that Satan is chomping at the bit to make me bitter and discontented! I know that once these kids are raised, I will look back and see that it was all worth it! The devo\'s here on AOP are awesome! The very thing that I need, often pops up on the day that I need it!!! As far as curriculum goes, so many people give us books, I find a lot at garage sales, and the internet has a ton of free resources. I haven\'t felt bad one bit about \"piecing\" together a curriculum if I\'ve had too! God provides!

TERESA H 07/19/2010 13:30:08

God knew that I would need this message today. I had just come home exhausted (mentally and physically) after spending the day out with my girls and mother-in-law. The girls wore me out physically, but the day\'s conversation wore me out mentally--why do I choose to stay home with my kids when I could be out using my teaching degree and making more money for my family? Why would I choose to homeschool when I could put my kids in school/daycare and go make more money? Why would I choose to \"settle?\" How will I afford to put my kids through college? Don\'t I think about my future?--I bet you\'re exhausted just from reading all of that! It is hard to explain to someone trusting in the Lord when he/she doesn\'t know him intimately. It is hard to explain contentment to someone who will never have \"enough.\" I thank God for the body of Christ that encourages me each day and for His Word. I also thank Him for his perfect timing and His faithfulness when we are faithful.

LISA B 07/19/2011 03:58:28

I\'ve been having a pity party of my own...

My husband doesn\'t like to work much and we\'ve been feeling the effects of that. I\'ve been so tempted to just find some part-time work to take a bit of the pressure off...but that\'s not my job - not my role.

My role is to be his helpmeet and to be our daughter\'s mother. I need to take care of our home and he needs to provide for our needs. He hasn\'t been doing that very well for a couple of years - yet when I\'m faithful to the role God has given me and trust in the Lord to provide - the Lord does!

My family doesn\'t understand, either, why I don\'t get a job, put our daughter in school, or even just leave! They don\'t understand trusting the Lord - even my grandma, who calls herself a Christian.

Sometimes we\'re married to someone who just isn\'t overly ambitious. My husband is a musician - with an artist\'s personality to match - whatever that means! lol.

He is who he is and he\'s always been this way - and he built us a small house on a pc. of land we own - so that right there saves us a lot of money. No rent or mortgage. We live fairly simply - though we don\'t have a woodstove anymore (miss that bone-warming heat) and we have running water now. We are richer than most people in the world.

I must count our blessings daily! Our family, home, land, garden, chickens...so many things God has given us. Electricity means a lot. Last year at this time He allowed our water pump and cooking stove to fail - but He provided us with a good source of water that I only needed to walk a little ways to carry and a free crockpot and free electric frying pan. Funny how much we take for granted until we lose it!

When I read God\'s word to reassure myself of what it is that He wants me to do...and then do it...I know I\'m in God\'s will and there is great joy in that. I was griping last fall as I was working hard to winterize the house and my husband was sitting around not helping me and my arthritis was flaring up. I prayed and you know what God reminded me? I was reminded that \"when I\'m serving my husband, I\'m serving God\". Never mind whether he deserves it...

Those are pretty radical words in this world. \"Them\'s fightin\' words\" among the feminist women of today.

I salute all the women who wrote in for going to God\'s word for their wisdom and strength. That\'s exactly where to find it. The world would take that away from us if it could. No matter what our obedience to Him looks like - we will probably look foolish to the world. But it would thrill me beyond belief to hear \"well done, good and faithful servant\" from Jesus. The world\'s approval means nothing compared to that.

LORRIE C 07/19/2011 04:01:09

When the Lord called me to homeschool, I was very career minded and American \"dream\" focused. However, when He was being very specific about this calling, I could and would not ignore it. My prayer ALWAYS is to be in His perfect will. Many times the Lord has required me to take steps of faith. When I have, the growth as a Christian and the blessings (not just material) have been tremendous. I\'m thankful that all my family\'s needs have been met every year of this homeschool journey. There have been seasons of abundance and seasons of set back, but blessed be the name of the Lord for His provision through it all!!!

KIM P 07/19/2011 05:07:58

Thank you for this devotional and to all who have commented so far! Money has always been a No. 1 stressor in our family as we continue to pay down debt acquired before our married days and even into our married days. But I have learned that it honors God to pay off debts owed and so we do. And like the other commenter, we often have very little money left after all our bills! I\'ve been struggling with indecisiveness over a curriculum I\'d like to do with my son and have the teacher\'s manual with lots of great ideas but it also requires lots of extras that are just too pricey for us right now. So I keep praying and praying and waiting and waiting to see if this is really the right thing for us - to spend this extra money or not.

I really liked what one of you said about curriculum - \"As far as curriculum goes, so many people give us books, I find a lot at garage sales, and the internet has a ton of free resources. I haven\'t felt bad one bit about \"piecing\" together a curriculum if I\'ve had too! God provides!\" We have also been given lots of things that I feel we don\'t deserve but am using with my son for school time. Piecing together is definitely not my first preference but it has proven to be inexpensive. It\'s just challenging to know if my son is getting all he needs from my pieced-together plan!

Thanks everyone for the great support and encouragement!

SORETHA P 07/19/2011 05:09:53

Soretha P from SA

Well done-AOP hit on the nail!!!Then well put Suzanne L , Camera R,Rebecca L,Teresa H, Lisa B and Lorrie C. Thanks for hearfelt honesty! Last 2, I agree the most;serving your hubby is serving God and Being called by the Lord to do homeschool! thanks God bless!

Soretha Pelser

SYBIL V 07/19/2011 06:43:27

thanks for your support, im encoraged every day whit this daily focus, the income and the tendence of this world can make you loose the focus of our entire lives, Satan is the sales man more equipied to make us think that we need \"that fruit\" to have everything we need, but are we going after Eve to leave everything for nothing, remember he is a lier, he came just to destroy, still and to kill...

ROGER C 07/19/2011 06:57:23

this is the thing that my wife and I are facing as we prepare for our first homeschool;ing experience. Me quietly in my mind and her verbally. The circumstances in this devotional fit us to a tee. This really helps to write it in stone what I have already felt in my heart. If we can put aside our \"wants\" and look to God for our daily needs then we and our children will see His hand at work. I can\'t think of a greater lesson than that for my children.

SYBIL V 07/19/2011 07:00:17

this comment is to Lisa B.

thankyou for sahring with us your life, i like your point of view in helping your husband, but i think as you said, thats not your role or your job, you have to let him grow, is he christian?? because he has to show love and providance to you an your daughter, and he has to work cause God says he has to and he has to do the hard work and much more because of your illness and pain, and is true you dont need a lot to be happy and conteted, but you need a real husband not a lazy guy around, please talk to him and to some leaders in your church and allow him to grow up to be mature to show the fruit of Spirit, poor guy, hes living a mediocre life.

And you keep trusting in God that He can chance him and tha he will be able to provide everything you need, he has to carry the water and witerize your house, he is who he is but he has to change, much more if he is Gods son, because God doesnt want us to be who we are, but to be transformed into sons and daughters that prasie Him with our lifes.

Whit love Sybil

KIM H 07/19/2011 07:03:09

WHAT A GOD-MOMENT! THANK YOU, JESUS! It was just last night that my husband and I had an extended talk about our need to change our spending habits that have quickly grown along with his increase in salary. Where did our contentment mindset go? I\'m going to forward this to my hubby right now and write it in my journal. Lord, thank You that You\'re already confirming our decision to walk in Your Spirit, not our flesh!

LISA B 07/19/2011 09:17:07

Thank you Sybil,

I\'ve known my husband since I was 13 and he\'s always been this way - we\'ve been married for 28 years now.

It wasn\'t that great of an issue before our daughter.

I would just work and pay the bills quite often - but now that I\'m a Christian I just want to do what the Lord wants me to do. I have a roll as a woman - I can\'t do my role and his, too.

So - I do what I\'m supposed to do and leave the rest up to him.

LISA B 07/19/2011 10:38:17

I would just like to add...

my original point was not to say \"feel sorry for me - I have a lazy husband\".

And I hope that I didn\'t come across that way.

He works part time and is in a band and he works hard at both of those things. Plus, he built our house and coop and sunk our well by himself.

My point was that when I\'m thinking he should be doing more (I could ask him to help me sometimes) I need to remember my role and not start thinking about how I can do mine and his, too. I need to count my blessings and be content. My blessings are many, many! My husband is one of those blessings! I\'m very glad he\'s not overly ambitious. Overly. He\'s a sweetheart - my sweetheart.

He actually doesn\'t want me to work outside of the house right now. If there comes a time when he does because he can\'t - then I\'ll step up to the plate, if I can. Right now...

Well, perhaps enough said.

TRACY S 07/19/2011 10:45:23

I often feel that things are overwhelming. I have worked a part-time job for several years and homeschooled my boys. Now some of them are behind in school because they needed extra help that I was unable to provide. Now that I am home full-time, I count it as a blessing even if we do without things. And my boys love hotdogs and macaroni. Thank God!

MICHELLE C 07/19/2011 12:32:46

Exactly what I needed. I\'ve been thinking that I need at least a part-time job to help my husband pay our bills. Tracy your comment has helped alot. I need to just keep trusting God for our needs and be there for my children. God always takes care of us.

DAWN F 07/19/2011 12:44:29

God is so powerful. My husband and I was just talking about finances last night and how we have gone over our spending this summer. I have been a stay at home for mom for about 6 years but with the economy going low and prices gone up, my husband\'s increase in salary is not the answer. because onece he got the increase the prices on gas and food rised along with the paycheck. I have been feeling lately that maybe I should get a job to help out but now I know God has other plans in stored for my family. This will be the first year for homeschooling my kids and I know that this is the right thing to do. God has made us parent to be our children\'s number one teachers. Let\'s follow God\'s word. He is always there pouring out his blessings. God Bless everyone.

PAULA K 07/19/2011 13:48:49

I\'ve been a stay-at-home mom for 12 years and homeschooled for a lot of them. We too have noticed that we have to live more modestly than our contemporaries. My husband has also taken a second job to pay off debt and save for our kid\'s college educations. I figure I have a second job too in caring for the kids and taking on more at home - and I am happy to do my part. We shop at thrift stores, secondhand on ebay, and \"make do.\" We garden and make things from scratch. I do miss some of the extras, but I am finding joy at home and in the free things we can do. We are blessed to have the choice! It sure helps to have a homeschool group with people in the same boat as you for support. Love this devo BTW!

PAULA K 07/19/2011 13:50:55

I figure in this economy, we are blessed to have the option of a second job for my husband. If I went back to work I would make 1/10th of what he makes, so it makes sense for me to stay home with the kids and homeschool. Find ways to cut, get skinny, and cut some more. We keep cutting - and even found if we got rid of texting on our phones, our phone bill would go down by 1/2 every month! Just another example... I don\'t think it ever pays for mom to go back to work in financial ways or emotionally or spiritual either...

TRISTA J 07/20/2011 00:28:20

Thank you so much and God Bless AOP and all you ladies (and men!) for sharing these pieces of your lives, your wisdom, insights and your different walks in faith. Not just today, but every day that I receive this devotional and read your comments! Today\'s subject has brought me to my knees with tears in my eyes, as I have spent an entire day today looking at the worldly success of my peers and wishing that I too could have that kind of life. I am so ashamed! My neighbor said to me the other day (he is neither Christian, nor homeschooling!) that when we are gone from this earth, the only thing of value we will leave behind, is how we raised our children. He was so right!

Rebecca, I will pray for you especially, that you may soon see the blessings in your current situation. I read your comment and keenly felt for you, as I have been there. It is nearly five years now that my husband has been working 1000+ kilometers away and I have been solely responsible for home and children and outdoor work and maintenance. Although difficult, the rewards have been incredible...... I am so much stronger in character and faith, because I simply had to get up each morning and do it all without question or hesitation and depend completely on God for the resources (physical, emotional and spiritual) and outcomes. My relationship with my eldest son is deeper and more respectful because of our increased responsibilities and interdependence. My marriage was very seriously tested the first three years, but is now stronger than ever before. My response to crisis is more measured and confident. I have had to face many of my fears and consequently have overcome a few of them. I have more compassion for my husband, and for other men too, because I have to do their job a lot of the time, and it isn\'t easy! I have had to learn hundreds of new skills and have finely honed my problem solving/troubleshooting abilities. I can now build or fix almost anything!! Lol! The most wonderful thing by far though, is that all of these things that God led me to learn, I have been able to use to serve others in my community, in my church family, and in my biological family. Without these trials, I would never be so able to bless others around me. Blessings to all of you!

Trista

LYNN B 07/19/2012 05:20:02

I would like to encourage people about finances.The wealth of the wicked is laid up for the righteous!Don\'t get a poverty spirit-if God says I can---fill in the blanks.\"I can live where God says I can live,I can drive what God says I can drive,etc\". Ask yourself,am I tithing,do I have bitterness and unforgiveness?That can block the flow of God\'s blessings in finances,healing,relationships.Heaven is not in a recession!If you start getting a negative thought,stop it.Get a new one-get a rhema word from God about the situation and war with it!My husband and I were in debt years ago and saw a Christian financial advisor.We couldn\'t seem to get ahead. He said not the \"B\"word(budget)but savings plan.We weren\'t tithing.When we started to do these things we got out of debt and God\'s blessed us over and over.

TERRI K 07/19/2012 06:11:00

my husband and i were just talking about this \"can we afford it\" thing last night before bed. God is so good about speaking to me through these articles when i wake up and read them. He always settles my anxieties that come over me about homeschooling!

SHERLIN H 07/19/2012 06:13:23

GOD IS SO FAITHFUL!!! Although I know and understand God\'s goodness, there are times when I can be discouraged and tempted to groan over what sometimes can seem like our sacrifice in homeschooling. It usually does not take long for me to wake up from my pity party and give thanks for the actual blessing that homeschooling our children is. At dinner last night, we were playing a question game with our 5 children and we asked, \"What is the most important thing that daddy and mommy can give to you?\". My 5 year old answered first and I was expecting to hear something about God. Instead, my 5 year old said, \"The most important thing that you and daddy can give me is YOU.\" We were so touched. That God would both allow and provide us with the opportunity to train up our children in His ways is priceless! I needed this today. Thank you so much!

ANNA S 07/19/2012 06:17:10

Very good message here. We as a family do go out to eat sometimes... just so our kids get that experience.... most of the time its the dollar menu, but the kids don\'t care. They are happy to be out as a family. We find when we do have extra money, we end up putting it back into to school supplies and other teaching items. There are times that my wife and I get a little down.... but then one of the kids will make us laugh and it reminds us how wonderful it is having them home and teaching them the values of God.

TARAH S 07/19/2012 08:27:19

Just wanted to say that I appreciate these encouraging emails in my inbox. Thank you AO for your faithfulness and the time spent to search your heart and write something of value and merit rather than fluff for marketing purposes. It\'s a blessing.

BECKYSUE R 07/19/2012 09:00:03

Wow I can really identify with the devotion today! Being a single full time working and home schooling mom with a tiny income wondering where my car repair money will come from, or how I will put food on the table for the second half of the month, it got me right in my worry spot.

The good thing is that I claim God\'s promises many times a day and he always comes through for me. I have always had healthy food on my table and my car repair\'s done in a timely manner. God is soooooo Goooooood!!!

TAMMY CARLSON 07/22/2013 13:17:53

In reading this devotional I would just like to remind everyone that when you seek first the kingdom of God all these other "things" you desire will be added to you besides. When my husband and I were led for me to stop working we had only $50 in discretionary income per month. As we tithed, gave offerings, and sought His plan rather than our plan God supernaturally brought increase. My husband increased in his wages beyond what I earned, God blessed us with trips we could never afford before and after believing for more than 12 years we were blessed with our dream home on 10 acres at less than half of the original value. We have been able to pay cash for vehicles, no not brand new but, we have found that the Lord is faithful not only to meet our needs but, it delights Him to prosper us and give us the desire of our heart that He may establish His covenant with us on this earth. Glory and Praise goes to Jesus for doing exceedingly abundantly above what we could even think or ask!


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