discovering joy in the journey

Joy to the Heart

It is inevitable.  Our sweet six year old asks me if I can print a coloring sheet for her.  Sounds simple enough.  I quickly say ‘Yes, but right after I switch out this load of laundry.’  As I’m removing the towels from the washing machine and placing them in the dryer, our newly turned four year old runs in and says he needs help with the potty. I rush to his aide (making sure he washes his hands) and then dash back to finish loading the towels.  I step out of the laundry room and I immediately hear, ‘Mommy, did you print my sheet yet?’  Oy.  I am slowly learning that for most requests, I also need to add, ‘You’ll need to remind mommy or I might forget.’  This is just the reality of living life in a busy household.

So, it is no surprise, as I go throughout my day, all these short segments of interaction intertwine… and start to obscure the bigger picture.  The vision, the joy, and the original goals for homeschooling our children tend to fade as I am dealing with the urgency packed within each moment of the day.

That is the main reason why I look forward to attending a yearly homeschool convention.  I used to go to pour over the curriculum and to figure out what we would be using the following year.  Don’t get me wrong – I still do that a little bit, but after 9+ years on this journey, my heart and my mind just simply need to be refreshed, renewed, and reminded of the ‘why’ for homeschooling…again and again.

We recently attended the Teach Them Diligently Convention and here are the titles of some of the workshops I attended…

Stop Wrestling and Start Resting
Experiencing Rest and Renewal
C.H.I.L.L. Out
When Less Is More
How To Be a Yes Mom
Say Goodbye to Survival
Running the Homeschool Marathon
Soaring Beyond Survival

Do you notice a pattern?  I was intent on seeking out ways to be reminded and encouraged to persevere!  Yes, because I forget, and when I forget I tend to feel like I am just surviving each day.  I have been praying that I would move beyond surviving and that the Holy Spirit would help me to bear fruit and to thrive.

Some snippets of encouragement from the speakers…

From Carol Barnier:
– Homeschooling is notoriously forgiving and efficient.

From Rachael Carman:
– Give yourself permission to rest and have time with God.  It is not being lazy.  Only worship and God’s Word can nourish your soul.
– When we raise our kids to know Him and make Him known, they will change the world.
– The enemy plants seeds of doubt and feelings of inadequacy…  Do what God calls you to do and do it diligently…Don’t grow weary and lose heart.  Fix your eyes on Jesus.
– Our children need to know that we’re on their team, that we love them, and enjoy them.
– God’s Word is what changes our kids’ hearts through His Holy Spirit.
– Of all the curriculum available, nothing trumps God’s Word.

From Sonya Shafer:
– Being more busy = Less availability for real life
– Keep your children’s love of learning alive so they want to continue learning on their own.
– It is not a question of how much your kids are learning, but who they are becoming.

From Toni Anderson:
– The more you do things together, the greater opportunities you have to get to know your kids and to see how God is shaping them.
– Say yes to those innocent desires of our children’s hearts.
– Don’t miss out on those ‘5 minute moments’.

From Crystal Paine:
– Don’t make an idol out of how much you get done each day.
– Your children are only little once.  Don’t miss the opportunity to slow down, look in their eyes, and invest in them.

From Zan Tyler:
– There is an urgency to this race.  The days are long and often hard, but the years are short.  You can’t reschedule this race for when it is more convenient.  Your kids need you now.

Oh, in just four short years, our family went from this… 
 
to this…
 
And in another four years we are now…
 
to this!

Time truly does go by in the blink of an eye and I need to have strength and vision for each day to fulfill the role God has called me to – the mother and teacher of these precious children.

Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. 
(Isaiah 40:28-31)

So, I press on, in the Lord’s strength.  May I continue in prayer, remember to trust Him with everything, be intentional and diligent in pursuing what truly matters, and be determined to persevere.  Lord Jesus, please remind me of these things – because I so often forget.