Monday morning and no need for an alarm clock. I popped out of bed with a song in my heart! Barely sipping my coffee, I turned my attention to the day's assignments. What fun lay ahead for the children and me!
However, Tuesday morning was a completely different story. I overslept, drank three cups of coffee, and still could not find an ounce of energy inside!
Solar Powered
What made the difference? I am solar-powered! If the sun is shining, I have energy. When the sun disappears, so does my energy. How blessed I am to live in the Sunshine State! Some of you are nodding your heads because you are solar powered too! Some of you love rainy days and you think I'm crazy. But all of us do have one thing in common...apart from Jesus we can do nothing! In that way, we are all "solar powered!"
"I am the Vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing," (John 15:5 NIV)
It is hard not to be task oriented when you are homeschooling. In fact, to homeschool successfully you have to be woman with a plan. But we don't want to plan focused homeschooling moms, we want our focus to always be on Jesus. He is the One that has an even better plan than the one we have made. We can trust Him when He changes our plans to have our best interest at heart. That is why we can surrender each and every homeschooling day to Him.
Surrender
We often talk of surrender. We surrender our "whole lives" for His glory. Yet it is often the details that we hold onto because we have not truly surrendered. Giving up control of our lives does not mean that we don't have an agenda. However, we hold our agenda loosely always wanting the greater will of God to prevail. It is in the place of surrender that the grace of God is poured out.
"My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9
The beginning of power is surrender. It takes humility to surrender. Humility allows us to admit that God's ways are better than our ways. It is perfectly ok to say to the Lord, "I just don't know how to teach my son this subject." The great thing about belonging to God is that He knows exactly how to teach your son that subject. We can receive wisdom from our heavenly Father as long as we are willing to humbly ask for His instructions.
However, Tuesday morning was a completely different story. I overslept, drank three cups of coffee, and still could not find an ounce of energy inside!
Solar Powered
What made the difference? I am solar-powered! If the sun is shining, I have energy. When the sun disappears, so does my energy. How blessed I am to live in the Sunshine State! Some of you are nodding your heads because you are solar powered too! Some of you love rainy days and you think I'm crazy. But all of us do have one thing in common...apart from Jesus we can do nothing! In that way, we are all "solar powered!"
"I am the Vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing," (John 15:5 NIV)
It is hard not to be task oriented when you are homeschooling. In fact, to homeschool successfully you have to be woman with a plan. But we don't want to plan focused homeschooling moms, we want our focus to always be on Jesus. He is the One that has an even better plan than the one we have made. We can trust Him when He changes our plans to have our best interest at heart. That is why we can surrender each and every homeschooling day to Him.
Surrender
We often talk of surrender. We surrender our "whole lives" for His glory. Yet it is often the details that we hold onto because we have not truly surrendered. Giving up control of our lives does not mean that we don't have an agenda. However, we hold our agenda loosely always wanting the greater will of God to prevail. It is in the place of surrender that the grace of God is poured out.
"My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9
The beginning of power is surrender. It takes humility to surrender. Humility allows us to admit that God's ways are better than our ways. It is perfectly ok to say to the Lord, "I just don't know how to teach my son this subject." The great thing about belonging to God is that He knows exactly how to teach your son that subject. We can receive wisdom from our heavenly Father as long as we are willing to humbly ask for His instructions.
God promises us, "I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you," (Psalm 32:8 NIV).
We are not alone in our homeschooling journey. As we educate our children God is educating us. After all, we are His little lambs.
Humility
Have you ever felt that the Lord was resisting your plans? They were, of course, the most wonderful plans in the world. Why God wouldn't get behind them and bless them was a mystery to you. I have been in that situation many times. I make a plan and then want God to put His stamp of approval on it, instead of seeking His face and implementing His plans. The Bible calls that pride. I have been guilty of pride, thinking I knew best. Unfortunately, pride is very distasteful to our dear Lord Jesus.
"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble," (1 Peter 5:5 NIV)
Sometimes I have been prideful in the way I interact with my children. I don't have any problem with being a firm parent and I expect my children to honor me at all times. However, I still need to maintain a humble heart toward my children, respecting them as fellow citizens of Heaven. As I grow in humility, God pours out His grace in my life. Sometimes humility is just admitting to my children that I was wrong and asking for their forgiveness.
As we embrace surrender and humility not only is God's grace lavished on our lives but a deeper intimacy is birthed. God calls us to abide and make our home in Him. It is out of this deep relationship with Jesus that the fruitful life emerges. As we abide in Jesus, His character transforms our own. He increases and we decrease. (See John 3) It is in this deep place with God that the yoke is easy and the burden light. Even homeschooling is easy when we are doing it in the power of God.
Finding Energy on Rainy Days
We are not alone in our homeschooling journey. As we educate our children God is educating us. After all, we are His little lambs.
Humility
Have you ever felt that the Lord was resisting your plans? They were, of course, the most wonderful plans in the world. Why God wouldn't get behind them and bless them was a mystery to you. I have been in that situation many times. I make a plan and then want God to put His stamp of approval on it, instead of seeking His face and implementing His plans. The Bible calls that pride. I have been guilty of pride, thinking I knew best. Unfortunately, pride is very distasteful to our dear Lord Jesus.
"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble," (1 Peter 5:5 NIV)
Sometimes I have been prideful in the way I interact with my children. I don't have any problem with being a firm parent and I expect my children to honor me at all times. However, I still need to maintain a humble heart toward my children, respecting them as fellow citizens of Heaven. As I grow in humility, God pours out His grace in my life. Sometimes humility is just admitting to my children that I was wrong and asking for their forgiveness.
As we embrace surrender and humility not only is God's grace lavished on our lives but a deeper intimacy is birthed. God calls us to abide and make our home in Him. It is out of this deep relationship with Jesus that the fruitful life emerges. As we abide in Jesus, His character transforms our own. He increases and we decrease. (See John 3) It is in this deep place with God that the yoke is easy and the burden light. Even homeschooling is easy when we are doing it in the power of God.
Finding Energy on Rainy Days
I will never be able to control the weather, so I will always struggle on rainy days to find energy. However, the choice to be empowered by the Holy Spirit for my homeschooling will be one that I will make every day of my life. I can always make the choice to humbly surrender to and abide in Jesus. In turn, He will fill my life with joy and power! How about you? What choice are you going to make? I hope you will join me on the path to joy and success through humility and surrender.
If you are looking for tips and practical advice for Christ-Centered Homeschooling, you will love Joyful and Successful Homeschooling available at Amazon. The E-book is available at PayHip and Currclick. Full of tips, practical wisdom, and family stories from a family that's been homeschooling since 1991, Joyful and Successful Homeschooling has been a blessing to many homeschooling families with help on management, how to teach, educational philosophies, family dynamics, learning styles, how to keep your home running smoothly, and help to teach each subject with curriculum suggestions.
God Bless each of you. Remember, you are Jesus' little lambs.
Merey (Meredith Ludwig Curtis)
If you are looking for tips and practical advice for Christ-Centered Homeschooling, you will love Joyful and Successful Homeschooling available at Amazon. The E-book is available at PayHip and Currclick. Full of tips, practical wisdom, and family stories from a family that's been homeschooling since 1991, Joyful and Successful Homeschooling has been a blessing to many homeschooling families with help on management, how to teach, educational philosophies, family dynamics, learning styles, how to keep your home running smoothly, and help to teach each subject with curriculum suggestions.
God Bless each of you. Remember, you are Jesus' little lambs.
Merey (Meredith Ludwig Curtis)
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