Going for the Gold
Posted in Daily Focus on Wednesday, April 23, 2014
"Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things" (1 Corinthians 13:7).
My oldest son loved the old West stories in our U.S. history curriculum. He seemed to identify with the early settlers who left the comforts of home and family in the East for adventure and gold in the West's unknown frontiers. Because my son's interest in this chapter of history ran deep, we decided to celebrate his tenth birthday with a tour of a working gold mine in Colorado.
My son's eagerness to find gold was contagious. Exchanging our caps for hard hats, our entire family accompanied him as he proceeded down the mine. Our guide's expert commentary gave my son a new understanding of the methods used in locating and extracting gold underground. Although the first prospectors easily became rich, many who followed faced hours of difficult work to compile even an ounce of this precious metal. At the tour's conclusion, my son was given a pan to search for his own gold in a nearby riverbed. After panning in several spots for more than an hour in hopes of finding his fortune, my son looked at me and said, "Mom, they sure had to work hard for just a little bit of gold, didn't they?"
Finding the gold in homeschooling also takes time. The first years usually involve sifting out mistakes like using the wrong curriculum, over-scheduling activities, and becoming intimidated by homeschooling opponents. However, if you faithfully continue teaching in God's strength, you'll soon observe the sparkling flakes of educational knowledge and Christ-like character shining in your child. If you've been thinking about giving up as a homeschool parent, now's the time to dig deep and discover the best in your homeschooling family. Go for the gold! "And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel" (Isaiah 45:3).
Father, nothing of value ever comes easily. Please, give me the strength and wisdom to remain faithful, while You show me the gold You've placed in each of my children's lives. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.
Comments(14 comments)
LUENDA L 04/23/2009 06:57:51
Thank you for your daily reminder not to give up. It seems what ever I'm going thruogh that day I can read theese stories and put things back in prespective. Thank you again and keep them coming. Luenda Legg
LAURIE W 04/23/2010 05:18:29
We've been homeschooling our 8th grade daughter for 14 months now. She liked her school. It was a good school with great teachers and she was a straight A student. If I had any idea that it would be this hard, I never would have done it. But I agree that God will show us the gold. Last week I had a breakdown. I was feeling so guilty and sure that I had not only missed God on this one but ruined my child's life. It's messages like this one that helps get me back on track. Thank you for that word from the Lord!
Laurie
PAM E 04/23/2010 08:10:12
This has been great encouragement! Thank you for sharing!
Pam
JULIE S 04/25/2010 19:19:35
We started homeschooling our ten year old daughter a few weeks ago and have been going through exactly what you mentioned here: issues with choosing curriculum; trying not to overschedule and anxiety about covering the necessities, in a positive and fun way. It\'s such a steep learning curve. I finally feel at peace with my choices, for now, but it is such a faith walk. This daily focus was spot on for me - thank you!
Julie S. (Australia)
MARY H 04/23/2011 06:38:17
We have homeschooled for the past 9 of 10 years. There were many times I doubted my ability to teach my child what he needed to learn, and many other times when I felt I could no longer make the sacrafice needed. I feared that my child wasn\'t learning enough, or socializing adequately. This year I have been able to see my 9th grader bloom into an amazing individual. Whatever your reasons for homeschooling, remember them when you feel doubtful, and pray for the Lord\'s guidance. Daily focus often is just what I need on a difficult day. Hang in there, it is truly worth it!
MC
SHANNON F 04/23/2011 07:15:39
What History were you using? I have been looking for one like that.
AMANDA E 04/23/2011 19:44:21
We\'re coming to the end of our first year homeschooling my 2nd & 3rd graders (with a 3 yr old climbing on my head at the same time). I have been through all the emotions & problems that you\'ve mentioned. It\'s comforting to know that I\'m not alone. Every time that I get discouraged and tell the Lord that I just can\'t do it anymore and I HAVE to put them back in school He gently tells me to just trust Him and, in time, things will get better. We\'re still in the rough stages but I\'m confident that homeschooling is God\'s will for my children and myself. Daily focus has helpled me so much! Thank you for all of your wisdom & insight.
Mandy E.
MIA M 04/23/2012 05:00:27
confirmation,Thank you God
JENNIFER O 04/23/2012 08:07:12
Thank you for giving us a place to drop by daily, for a little dose of encouragement as we begin to home school our 8 and 14 year old daughters. I do feel Father wants me to do this for our family. I know I am up to the challenge, and my girls, husband and I can do ALL things through Christ and His strength.
TABITHA J 04/23/2012 08:08:48
For awhile, I had a hard time getting my husband excited about homeschooling our future babies, but when he realized that he can do a unit study on his favorite things (Star Wars, for example), he got really excited and wants to do some teaching on those subjects. I still believe that homeschooling is God\'s will for us.
ANYA C 04/23/2012 08:15:16
As we are nearing the end of our first homeschool year with our 11 yo, I am almost brought to tears by this Daily Focus. It has been such a huge challenge...homeschooling, working outside of the house part-time, having a 3 yo...the list goes on!! All year I have felt like I\'m not doing enough, and that we haven\'t really reached our goals, which were mostly just to get caught up after 4 unproductive years of public school. Just this a.m.. I was pondering whether I am capable of being my daughters teacher. Well, thank God for this devotional and the much needed encouragement. Thank you to all the moms who post their struggles, challenges and victories. God is truly amazing and I feel renewed to keep going. Blessings!
KIM M 04/23/2012 08:19:56
I read this just after fear and panic was coursing through me when I realized my 1st grader is still hugely struggling with reading!! This message, along with the replies was soothing to my soul.....I need to keep my eyes on the bigger picture and about how God will work all of this out if I just trust in Him! Thankfully homeschooling gives our children the time they need to learn and grow at their own perfect pace....
DEENA PAYNE-LINDSAY 04/23/2013 19:19:56
I enjoy receiving daily devotionals and have started sharing them with the children. My daughter wanted me to comment on how much she liked this one. Actually she likes them all, but she wanted me to let you know that she enjoyed this one particularly.
I have been questioning our decision to homeschool because of the daily struggle to keep my children on task. I believe when we first took them out of public school early last year, I went overboard making sure they were getting "enough". Now they just seem not to want to get going on days; and I get tired of the struggles. I know this is what God has for us. We see them growing spiritually every day. They were never bad students or had difficulty, which everyone outside of homeschooling thinks when they learned we removed them from public school. They were just receiving messages that we didn't want them getting.
After we began homeschooling, I realized there were a lot of things that were learned, but not mastered. Also, it is amazing how long it took for them to understand that learning is everywhere. Even when we aren't in the "class" we are in an educational mindset now, which is amazing.
I'm learning how to stop listening to the naysayers, thanks to an amazing group of women at our Co-op. I'm learning that their is a very supportive homeschooling community in our area. I am still leaps and bounds from having a system down, but I see light at the end of the tunnel.
Thanks for the motivation you give our family!
Patricia Cowell 04/24/2015 13:12:09
I can't even begin to express my relief and joy I am having right now! I too have been battling the same thing. My husband & I decided to home school our daughter. She is in first grade and she has home schooled since preschool. But I too have been worried that I am not doing good enough. I feel so encouraged now after reading all these stories. I have family members who think I'm crazy because we home school, but I know I am doing the right thing. Thank y'all so much! Please keep us in your prayers.