God equips the called
Love is what equips us as mothers and teachers. God is love. Because we are created in His image, we are designed to love and care for our children deeply – just as God loves us. His love is all encompassing. He is our teacher, counselor, friend, comforter, and protector. Therefore, we are born teachers, counselors, friends, comforters, and protectors. It’s who we are. Thankfully, He holds our hand and guides us as we rise to this seemingly insurmountable task. The key to our success? Faith, hope and love. The greatest is love.
As new parents, we rarely feel equipped for what we are called to do. We are like student drivers, having to calculate every next step carefully. Before long, our daily tasks become reminiscent of driving in a state of highway hypnosis. We are on a type of autopilot. Feeding and diapering become automatic. We no longer find ourselves fumbling with our nursing cover or the snaps on our cloth diapers. We learn by simply doing the next thing. Somedays, we arrive at bedtime not sure how we just got there... but we got there. What we accomplished from sun up to sun down would have seemed insurmountable if we had mapped it out in advance. Yet, we do it one step at a time. In simply doing the next thing, we gradually and naturally advance in our abilities.
We become teachers the day we become parents.
Teaching our children is part of our divine calling. We encourage our babies when they attempt to roll over, celebrate their tiny victories as they begin to crawl, and hold their hands as they take wobbly first steps. We read countless books with them snuggled on our laps, and listen in amazement as they "read" to us an entire book they memorized. We teach them to catch, throw, run, swim, dance, sing and paint. In turn, they challenge us to grow and stretch in ways we never knew we needed. We become stronger and more equipped. We don't have to strive to get there, it just happens.
When my children were three and one, the Lord started to minister to my heart about my role as their teacher. It was then that I began to contemplate the traditional path of school. Would I really send my oldest off to school in a year or two? Something within me was longing to keep her home a little longer. During this time the Lord presented me with An Invitation to Homeschool. "Two roads diverged in the wood and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." As I embarked upon this "new" path, it was then that I realized it wasn't new at all - it was simply a continuation. The road I didn't take was actually the unfamiliar path of turning their teaching over to someone else. In hindsight, I believe our homeschool was birthed, alongside our first child, in the delivery room.
Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. ~ Robert Frost
If I allow myself to gaze too far into the future and worry about tomorrow... I begin to feel overwhelmed. In Matthew 6:34, Jesus tells us ‘to not worry about tomorrow, but to deal with each challenge as it comes, one day at a time - tomorrow will take care of itself’. It is imperative that we learn to focus on today, and trust in the One who holds tomorrow. The key to our success is found in the preceding verse "above all, constantly seek God's kingdom and his righteousness, then all these less important things will be given to you abundantly." In homeschool, as in life, we do not know what tomorrow will bring (Prov 27:1), but we can trust in the One who does. When we seek first His kingdom and His righteous, all that we need will be given to us in abundance (Matt 6: 33, Phil 4:19). He is more than enough!
33 “So above all, constantly seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness, then all these less important things will be given to you abundantly. 34 Refuse to worry about tomorrow, but deal with each challenge that comes your way, one day at a time. Tomorrow will take care of itself.” (Matt 6:34, TPT)
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. (Prov 27:1, AMP)
And my God will liberally supply (fill until full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:19, AMP)
During the early years of school I longed to hear the Lord's heart on teaching. I sat with Him for countless hours, listening and praying. It was during this time that I appointed Him as Headmaster of our school and committed to allowing Him to guide me in teaching my children. The Creator of reading, writing and arithmetic is the one I desire at the helm. He knows us best. He knows our resources, limitations, gifts, talents and interests better than anyone. No curriculum or school could ever gather together each of these details more masterfully or efficiently than He who created it all. Each of us is a masterpiece created to do the good works which God prepared in advance for us to do (Eph 2:10). It is my desire is to rely on the Lord as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Ps 119:109). He is the one most qualified to teach our children. My desire is for Him to be at the center of all we do and learn.
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Eph 2:10, NLT)
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Ps 119:105, KJV)
I always wanted to teach kindergarten, and was even an elementary education major for a short time in college. My path ended up leading me a different way and I graduated with a Master's degree in Human Nutrition and Food Science. I never regretted my decision to study nutrition, and simply thought that my dream to teach kindergarten was one that I would have to let go of. Much to my delight, both of my children have since journeyed through through kindergarten with me as their teacher! God doesn't always answer our prayers or dreams the way we think - He always does it better! I didn't have a degree in elementary education... but I did have a Headmaster who was walking along side of me on my journey. I was more than equipped!
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. (Ps 37:4, NLT)