What Should I Do?
Posted in Daily Focus on Tuesday, December 3, 2013
"A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps" (Proverbs 16:9).
Do you ever wish you could wake up in the morning and let someone else figure out how your homeschool day is supposed to go? My indecisiveness in homeschooling was usually generated by the fear of making the wrong decisions. What if we were using the wrong curriculum? What if my children weren't getting enough social interaction? What if my children weren't learning what they needed to know to be successful in college? Wasn't there someplace I could go to find all the answers, so I didn't have to second guess myself anymore?
Gideon had a problem with deciding what to do when God called him to defeat the enemies of Israel, the Midianites. He wasn't so sure he saw the warrior in himself that God claimed him to be in Judges 6:12. How could he fight against these men trained in war when all he had known was farming? However, Gideon learned the secret to defeating indecision. He simply brought the problems of fighting the battle to the Lord and left the choices up to Him. He only needed to obey and do what God showed him. Even when his faith was small and he had to ask for God's guidance a second time, God lovingly answered with the fleece of faith that was first wet and then dry.
Are you wringing your hands with indecision and wondering if you have what it takes to be an effective homeschooling parent? Remember the story of Gideon. You may not be a certified teacher, but you know the Lord is mighty. If He has called you to homeschool, He will tell you the answers to every question you have about how to teach. He will make you a mighty warrior in the education of your children and perform amazing miracles of provision when you need them most. You can leave all the decisions to God, and He will show you the way. "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left" (Isaiah 30:21).
Father, I really need Your help to know what to do today when homeschooling my children. Show me what lessons to focus on and what lessons to leave for another day. Guide me with Your Word and bring those circumstances into our lives that reveal Your divine hand of guidance. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Comments(17 comments)
SUE H 12/03/2008 10:27:28
I needed this today! As I fretted about which curriculum to use with my daughter I worried if it was the right one. She has a disability when it comes to math and an aversion to reading. This devotional really helped refocus ME ! It also reminded me that HE is in control of even this most difficult time in my life and my daughters life.
STACIE W 12/03/2008 13:04:28
As a fairly new homeschooling parent, this really helped me today. I have a child who fights me every step of the way - we are both trying to unschool and its hard and frustrating - while my other son is in the I know everything attitude - Remember that God is in control really gets my perspective back.
Thank you.
LILY T 12/03/2008 17:11:10
I so appreciate the timely and heartfelt short devotional in my email every day! These AOP messages were part of the reason we recently switched to "Switched on Schoolhouse," and today I really wondered if I had made the right choice. Thank you for reminding me to look to God for the answer and to wait on His leading.
EVELYN G 12/03/2009 05:37:36
I am unable to homeschool right now as I have to work from home. My husband has been out of work for more than a year and now I am also interviewing for jobs outside the home (to be added to my already busy schedule). My daughter and I toured a charter school yesterday, and she and I both feel it will be a good fit for her (you never know until you try, though, we've had a bad experience in the past with a charter school). I hate to give up homeschooling, not because I'm good at it, but because I don't want her in the care of non-Christians (I really like the teachers I've met at the school and don't know their religious beliefs). The classroom she will be in is set up in a way that she should be able to quickly gain some ground, and identify the areas she probably needs extra help in. I did not enjoy homeschooling, but she and I were slogging through it. She is a very sociable child and I think she is excited about starting school there. I am feeling relieved of the time burden and the guilt burden of not giving her the best education. Am I wrong? Do others have a similar experience? I don't want to make mistakes with her future, that is why I want her to go to this school for a year or two to get on track. After that, I believe she can return to home schooling or do online school if she prefers. My biggest concern is her academics are not on track, and I don't have the time to devote to her that she deserves. Why do I feel like I'm just copping out? Why am I still not sure that God wants me to homeschool? One day I feel I have confirmation that I should continue that. But the next I feel the opposite. And If I have to get a job, my husband will not do the homeschooling as well as I do (which is not giving her the best education in any case). Any comments for me? Thanks.
PAULA F 12/04/2009 01:20:57
Thank you. This is my life right now. so much going on. am i doi$ing the right thing or am I messing them up. But God said should be good enough. GG5
JODI M 12/05/2009 13:51:52
Evelyn-
I am in the same position with you. I love homeschooling but my son wants to play in the marching band at our local high school. We have had extensive times of Christian apologetics and he is firm in his faith in Christ. He is a lso very social and really wants to go. I don't feel guilty about it but I also feel scared that he will be exposed to many bad things in a quick way. I need to find work since we almost lost our home and my husband doesn't make enough to sustain us. I don't feel dissapointed but am I doing the right thing? Please pray for us as school is next year 9th grade. This schoolhas a great engineer club and he wants to be a structural engineer and honestly, I need a break too. Any thoughts? Are you facing this kind of decision?
DONNA J 12/03/2010 05:15:09
This was a good word for me today, not just regarding homeschool, but also regarding some other things God is calling me to do.
There is no conincidence. He gave me a clear message through you all today.
Thank you!
For I walk by faith, and not by site.
Shalom to you all who\'ve commented here, as well.
8)
DONNA J 12/03/2010 05:28:42
I just read the comments from some of the other moms and wanted to leave another note to encourage you. One common thing I\'ve seen (and been through) for Christian moms is this guilt and uneasiness when homeschooling was no longer an option. The truth is that we all are His Daughters, and we all hear from Him and are led by Him. Most times God doesn\'t tell us what to do audibly, but He gives us the tools we need to make the right decisions for our families. Lean on Him for your comfort ... don\'t worry about the chatter from people who don\'t understand what you\'re going through. Make some new friends who do understand ... be-friend some of the parents at your kids\' schools. It\'s going to be just fine, as long as you all keep God first and keep your hearing clear when adjustments need to be made, so that you\'ll know what to let your kids get involved in and how to manage their schooling days, even though you\'ll be working.
SUSAN M 12/03/2010 07:51:34
When speaking with most homeschooling moms who are worried about what to do ....I have asked ....\"Did you ask your husband?\" Most of them have not or if they have they don\'t follow his direction. The Bible is pretty clear on the husband being the head of the family but somehow when we homeschool we forget that part.
MURIEL C 12/03/2011 04:42:00
Muriel C
Great timing on this devotional. I\'ve fretted over so many aspects of the homeschooling through the years.
ALEXANDRAV H 12/29/2011 05:21:26
This is for Sue the way I learned my math and still learning my math is we relate it to things I llearn my x tables by money did not get to keep though and every week we add so if was let the tens my pulled 10 and then 20 ......so on also for reading my issue is compherison so I read and then I turn the disc to and it reads to me while I follow long and then I would tell my mom all about the book and tell her where the setting was and my mom and would make it a verbal worksheet with no pencil or paper just us i would start off by saying mom soul surfer was amazing book did know she lived in hawii i would describe the setting and everything. I never really got into reading until the kindle now I read like crazy and compherison and everything just changed
MARIE K 12/03/2012 06:44:03
Wow, I love it! This is right where I am now. My Daughter is finishing her math curriculum which is MCP. and I look at the horizon program and think did I make the wrong choice since there are so many holes between the two. THis is so encouraging. Thanks you!
MIKAEL B 12/03/2012 06:45:51
Exactly what my heart needed to heart this morning as we start out first day of homeschooling! God us so awesome!
SHANNON B 12/03/2012 10:29:53
Oh my this brought tears to my eyes!! I am new to Home Schooling in fact, not even a week in.... And when I started reading this I KNEW that God had sent this right to me!!! We even named our school the Gideon Christian Academy!!!! How cool is that!!!! Thank you for such a wonderful confirmation for my decision to Home School my son.... Shannon
CHARITY L 12/03/2012 11:40:11
Dear Eveyln,
I read your post. My heart goes out to you. I understand the stress that you are feeling having to work from home and also get another job in addition to your duties as a wife and a mother. I\'m sure you probably feel as though you are being pulled in every direction. I do not think that you should feel as though you are coping out. I am a mother who is in a similar situation as you. I would love to Homeschool my children but I am unable to do so at this time. I have had to trust in the Lord through these times. I have also had to be more intentional with continuing to instill our Christian faith with the time I do have available and talk to my kids about the philosophies of the world and what we believe as Christians because of the word of God. At some point your daughter will leave your home and be in the world, it is our job to teach them how to cope with today\'s environment.
Proverbs 3:5 \"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.\"
BROOK J 12/04/2012 04:55:12
\"Who is in charge anyway?\"
I home schooled my daughter for her first 2 1/2 years of school. This was very difficult for me because my husband and I were already running the family business. I had no help with homeschooling, because my husbands roll in the company was much more demanding than mine. I also had a toddler at the time. Most days I was stressed, but I kept pushing myself through telling myself \"I can do it\". I looked at all the other home school moms who were doing it, and I thought if they could do it, then so could I. I think I also wanted to homeschool my daughter so I could protect her, I liked being in control and knowing she was safe at home. So midway through 2nd grade, I came to a breaking point and realized I could not continue. I was unstable, and felt it wasn\'t fair to my daughter. I also felt she needed more. She is a very busy girl and it took so much of my time trying to keep her involved in other activities. I was wore right out! My husband and I finally enrolled her in a wonderful small little Christian school, and she has been there nearly one year now. It has been the biggest blessing to us. My daughter is doing so well, and has made wonderful friends. I even get to volunteer at her school one day a week.The teachers are fabulous and it is truly a Christ-centered environment. I want to encourage you Moms out there, don\'t feel guilty if you have to let go of home schooling, or feel it just isn\'t working. In my case it wasn\'t working, because it wasn\'t what I was supposed to be doing. Now that I have \"let go and let God\", life is much more pleasant. So many times I would read articles or posts and they all made me feel like if I didn\'t homeschool, then I would be doing my kids an injustice. The authors would even back it up with scripture on why I need to keep my kids at home. This really bothered me especially when I first put my daughter in school. I felt I was letting everyone down (even God) because I \"gave up.\" The guilt was awful. But the Lord began showing me that HE is the one in control. If we release our children to the Lord, he will do a much better job than we ever could. I am not saying I will never home school again. I just know for this season we were in, homeschooling wasn\'t working, perhaps someday it will. But I will make sure that God is leading me every step of the way.
TINA R 12/05/2012 12:07:11
ATTENTION: EVELYN G... First I want to say that my heart goes out to you and anyone in a similar situation. I remember what it was like for me just struggling with the idea of homeschooling before I knew anying about it. But, the only thing I did know was that God has put us in charge of raising our own children. Mother and father. Even if you dont feel he will do as good a job, it is much better than throwing them to the wolves to survive the system schools. Our children\'s relationship with the LORD Jesus Christ is more important than their education in this world. We are to be educating our sons and daughters. Public, private, charter, Christian schools... doesnt matter. They are all still raging with hormones and chaos and lust amongst them as well as the teaching staff. I dont mean to sound extreme, but truth can sometimes be bitter. I dont know how old your daughter is, but I am speaking from experience. My husband and I have 6 children between us and we started in public then charter now to homeschooling. Seek the Lord in prayer with your husband about this matter. This will be one of the most important matters you both will ever have to make together. Proverbs 3:5 \"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.\" Also, you mentioned you were still unsure that the Lord wanted you to homeschool. Well you can be sure He wants you and your husband to be obedient to His word and train up your children in \"the way\" they should go... \"God\'s way\"... I pray strenth and courage and wisdom upon your husband and you to make the best decision...Trust In Him :)