If I could invite you over for a visit, I would sit you down in my most comfortable chair and offer you your favorite refreshment. As we chat, I would listen to you share your struggles. I would tell you I know it isn’t easy. I have found that most things worth doing aren’t easy. I know you have chosen to homeschool for good reasons, even though some of our reasons may differ. But, you continue to tell me there have been plenty of days you were ready to give up. If only you had more knowledge, patience, backbone…you confess it can be overwhelming to be a wife, mother, teacher, housekeeper, cook, and also work part-time outside the home. I hear ya, mama. Its exhausting. You ponder how nice it would be to send the children to school and have a few hours to yourself -or at least catch up on laundry and dishes. Can you really see this through until graduation?! And then you remind yourself of the reason you chose to homeschool in the first place. You tell me you know it’s the right choice, but you honestly don’t know how you will make it all work. After all, you aren’t superwoman!
Oh, my friend, you don’t need to be superwoman, but you do need to seek a never-ending Source to find the necessary perseverance. In all your frustrations, He offers peace and patience. I remind you that you are not alone in this decision. Whether you have one student, or nine, you only have a few short years to teach them academics AND the character of God. Diligently teaching each one of your children reading, writing, arithmetic and Biblical knowledge is possible because the One Who has called you will adequately equip you. You softly speak that you still have doubts, and I remind you that you cannot let fear and doubt control your life. There are days you will need to hear an encouraging word from a friend who has been there. Don’t isolate yourself. Satan will do his best to convince you that you are alone, but He is a liar.
As we talk, I can tell you feel as though the days drag on forever long and bedtime is an answer to prayer…. but these years will fly by. If we choose to see only the negatives in each moment, the days will go by without any positive influence on the precious children God has blessed us with. You then tell me you are exhausted and, though they are long, the days are also too short. You cannot possibly accomplish everything on your to-do list. I gently remind you not to make excuses. It’s much easier to complain than to actually do. In my experience, the rewards of accomplishing a task far outweigh the results of all my complaining. Yes, this is hard. Perhaps, we make things harder than they were intended to be? I lovingly explain that sometimes you just have to do it; whatever IT is.
When you are convinced you have failed, remember that God isn’t finished with you yet. As we experience His grace, we can more freely share it with the young ones in our care. You, my dear friend, wear many hats, but for those who persevere and finish the race, a crown will replace all those hats. A crown that you can lay at the feet of Jesus, the One who enabled and equipped you on this journey. When you feel like you are fighting a losing battle, remember, victory is found in Christ alone. He will show you what you need to give up and which things should be pursued. He will offer rest for your weary soul. Its not about trying harder to be better, its about being more like Him in each area of our lives. He must increase and I must decrease.
Since we are talking about Him….how is your relationship with your Savior? You ashamedly admit that He hasn’t been your focus, strength or joy of late. I also state my weakness in this area at times. He has never left you. He knows where you are and where you want to be. I cry with you as we pray together. Where do we begin to find answers to our tough questions? We seek the Lord through His Word. There we will find all we need to be the godly women we are called to be, because there we come to know Him. May God help us see His divine plan so we don’t lose our heavenly perspective. We vow to begin and end our days with Jesus. We also want to include Him in all the hours in between through prayer and worship. When we need encouragement, we know there is no better place to run than into His arms.
Seeking Wisdom,
