If You Keep Your Eyes on Jesus You Can Walk On Water and Homeschool

“Come.”  That little word was spoken by Jesus to Peter when Peter walked on water.  Jesus has said to all of us, “Come”, as we begin and/or continue our homeschooling journey. God has called you to the noble task of homeschooling, so He will equip you, just like He equipped Peter.  You just need to have faith.  

Faith is a little word but it has a huge amount of power and strength.  Faith is what allowed Peter to walk on water!  So Jesus said "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.   Matthew 14:29  The same faith that Peter had to do an unimaginable task, is the same faith we need as we start and/or continue our journey this year.  And for many of us, homeschooling our children, is an unimaginable task! 

For several of you, this is your first year of homeschooling, however, in my opinion, you have been homeschooling your children since birth.  Your child is just starting another stage in his development and now the government has lorded over you a requirement to teach your child because your child is now 5 or 6 years old.  I laugh out loud when I think of the government requiring me to teach my child!  That sounds so ridiculous! 

When you taught your child how to eat solid foods, did you have the government pressuring you to do so?  No!  You knew your child was ready to eat solid foods so you introduced them to him.  You did not withhold food from your child because you were waiting to hear from the government as to when to feed him.  You knew what your child needed.   

When you taught your children how to walk, did you consult the government handbook on childhood walking?  Of course not, how absurd does that sound? You know your child better than anyone else, more so than the government, the public schools, private schools, grandmas and grandpas, friends and neighbors.   You have been homeschooling all along.  YOU ARE EQUIPPED TO DO THIS!  You are the ultimate teacher for your child, because you are “Mom”.  Now, here comes the hard part.  Charting a new course.

Many of you are anxious for this coming school year.  I remember very well my first year of “official” homeschooling.  All of the curriculum was in order and I had an ideal of my child just sitting at my kitchen table waiting eagerly and patiently for my instruction for us to ‘do school’.  What a rude awakening I had!  There was absolutely nothing patient about my child and the only thing he was eager to do was to get up from my table to go run around outside and climb a tree.  (Eight years later, he's still like that today!)  

I was definitely disillusioned about my new homeschooling journey.   I began to second-guess myself and my abilities and of course, my “qualifications”.  

I did not understand why my child did not respond the way I had envisioned.  After the years of reading books about homeschooling, and homeschooling my children through preschool, I truly felt prepared.  Oh, how wrong I was!  But after a few more years of growing in the Lord and having faith in knowing that homeschooling was God’s best for my child, I pressed on.  I bought different curriculum, read a lot more homeschooling books, learned more about my teaching style and my children’s learning styles, etc.  I was determined to homeschool in spite of its difficulties, yet I still felt like I was sinking, or should I say, drowning!  

My first born child was sooo difficult to teach (and he still is to this day because that is just how God has made him!)  I realized I had a choice.  I could put him in traditional school and have someone else teach him, knowing full well that he would not receive the biblical instruction that I wanted to pour into him, or I could read more homeschooling books and hope everything works out for the best.  OR I could have faith in Jesus, the Living Word, the Ultimate How-to Homeschool Book.  And that is what I did.  I used God’s Holy Word as my ‘Life Preserver’ to pull me back up to the top of the water that I was drowning in.  I clung to the Word of God and I believed It and tried to obey It with all my heart, even in the midst of my homeschooling storm.

When I look back to my times of defeat, I saw the ‘here and now’, the temporary times of my child not getting math or his inability to read, (which now I recognize as his disinterest, rather than a ‘so called’ disability).  I took my eyes off of Jesus just like Peter did when he started to sink.  “But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!”  Matthew 14:30   

Fear caused Peter to sink.   Fear caused me to doubt my decision to homeschool.  So I asked myself, what causes a homeschool mom to fear?  And here were many of my thoughts, 

“My son is not ‘getting it’.”  

“I don’t feel like I am doing enough.”  

“Will this curriculum cover everything he needs to know?”  

“What if there are gaps in my child’s education?”  

“Will he get into college?”  

“Am I going to ruin my child by doing this?  

All of it is fear and All of it is from the Enemy.  Satan will speak those words into your minds daily, if you allow him. 

What I did not see at the time were the spiritual fruits that were developing in my child, and those giftings far outweighed when he would ‘get math’ or become a proficient reader.  "And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  Matthew 14:31  There  was  no reason  for  me to  become  fearful  of  my child’s education.  God knew what He was doing when he called me and said, “Come”.

Many people have given Peter a hard time for taking his eyes off of Jesus in this passage.  But how many other disciples had enough faith to throw their leg over the side of the boat and walk on water?  A big fat zero!  

You have thrown your leg over the side of the boat, you are walking on water to Jesus, only your walk happens to have your kids in tow, and you are taking them to Jesus with you!  What a beautiful and precious sight! 

If you keep your eyes on Jesus, you can homeschool!

How to Raise Brilliant Children

Every homeschooling mom has the desire to raise children who will grow up to be wise and full of understanding.  We want our children to shine, excel and be successful, especially since we have devoted our lives to them as we poured into them academically.  Not only do we want our children to be filled with wisdom, but we want them to be able to function in society as adults and of course we want them to build God’s kingdom, but where does true wisdom and understanding come from and how do we make sure that our children will obtain it?  Does it come from reading various books or utilizing wonderful curriculum programs?  Would our children be filled with wisdom if they attended multiple field trips?  How about if they take an abundance of co-op classes?  What seems to be the logical answer to these questions is ‘yes’, at least that is what we are led to believe if we were raised in an educational system and/or just being a part of our society, but that is not the Truth.   If we look to the Bible as our authority, instead of society or our past educational experiences, we will find a different answer. 

The fear of the Lord is true wisdom.

In the book of Job, God is speaking to Job when He says, “The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding." Job 28:28  At one point in Job’s life he had everything you could have ever asked for; many children, an abundance of wealth and possessions, plus good health.  If you just read the first chapter of Job and did not read any further, you would have thought that Job was a wise man because of all that he obtained.  As you read further, you find out the he was well-respected in society, which would equate in our minds that he was a man of influence; therefore a man of wisdom. Yet, God allowed all of Job’s children and his possessions to be taken away from him.  As wealthy as Job was, the Word of God says he obtained those things because …”he was blameless and He feared God.”  Job 1:1 If you continue to read further in the book, you will soon find out that Job is arguing with God about the situation he was in and finally the Lord rebukes him and then tells him, “The fear of the Lord is true wisdom.”  Job 28:28  In other words,  “Job, shut your trap.  You may have possessed many things, but “I Am” is here to tell you that it is not what you can obtain that makes you wise, but Who you fear.” (my paraphrase!) 

           
When I read that verse several years ago, I never applied it to my life as a homeschool mom.  As the years have gone by while I have taught my children, I could not help but wonder, worry and fret if I was covering everything they needed know and whether or not there were any ‘gaps’ in my children’s education.  Although I am still very conditioned by what I think I should be teaching my children and how much of it I should be covering, the Word of God is the Truth, regardless of what society says, or what type of education I have received, or what a well-meaning homeschooling publisher may have written.  What matters most is that our children will know the Truth and where true wisdom comes from and that it does not come from reading many books, etc., but by reading the One True Book and having fear of the One True God. 

            
Yes, there will be ‘gaps’ in my children’s education because I can not ‘do it all’ for there just isn’t enough hours in the day. So I choose to make sure that my children are brilliant, by being full of true wisdom and understanding before I teach them knowledge. "But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?”  Job 28:12  “Who has put wisdom in the mind?  Or who has given understanding to the heart?” Job 38:36  It all comes from the Lord.

            
The Bible speaks about Solomon being the wisest man that ever lived, he was a man of great wisdom and understanding.  When I think of Solomon, I could only hope that my children would one day have the wisdom that Solomon once displayed (until of course he rejected the things of the Lord because he chose to listen to his pagan wives and concubines.)  “ God said, "Ask! What shall I give you?" And Solomon said: "You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” 1 Kings 3:9  “So God replied, "Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people and have not asked for a long life or riches for yourself or the death of your enemies- behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. 1 Kings 3:11-12

So how did Solomon become so brilliant and filled with wisdom, he asked the Lord for it, but did you notice in this passage that he also spoke of his father’s godly character?  As Solomon was growing up, he saw his father’s devotion to the Lord.  He saw how David handled difficult situations, trials and attacks, even the attack from his own son Absalom who tried to usurp his throne. David displayed the life of a godly man, so much so, that Solomon desired to live a life of devotion and servanthood to the Lord as a result of his father’s actions.  Because of David’s example of reverence for the Lord, Solomon asked God for wisdom.

            
We have an opportunity every day to teach our children how to be wise, but it begins with our example.  Do our children see us live our lives with the fear of the Lord?  Do they see us spending time in God’s Word on a daily basis?  Do they see us submitting to our husbands?  Are our priorities and activities God-honoring or are they worldly?  Where do we spend our time and our money, is it in one’s self and entertainment or in ministry? Do they see us protecting them from things or situations that God would deem as evil?   When we sin, do our children see us apologize and restore our relationships?  Those things matter; they will either show our children that we fear the Lord or that we don’t.     

            
Isn’t it nice to know that if we teach our children to fear the Lord our kids will receive wisdom?  Yes, it is that simple of a truth, however, the faith that it takes to embrace that thought process is huge and might be difficult to live on a daily basis.  We might have the tendency to keep going back to what we think we should be teaching our children.  There is nothing wrong with that, however, if we place a higher priority upon knowledge over wisdom, we could end up raising a fool who will spend eternity in hell, rather than a brilliant, wise child who will spend eternity in heaven.  I encourage you to spend your time on the wiser choice!

As For Me and My Treehouse, We Will Serve the Lord

As a parent, the daily example of our attitudes and actions speak volumes to the shaping of our children’s character.  Our kids learn so much of who our Heavenly Father is by the relationship WE have with our Lord.  I am sure you have heard of the popular saying, “more is caught, than taught”.  I often think of how Jesus taught his disciples as he just spent time hanging out with them, walking with them, sitting in a boat with them and finally, showing them His ultimate love and sacrifice as He went to the Cross.  He is the Great Teacher.  In the book of Matthew, chapter 10, Jesus is giving his disciples authority to cast out demons, heal the sick and instructions on how to go out to preach the Gospel.  He gives his boys a list of do’s and don’ts and then He says in verse 24, “A student is not greater than the teacher.”  Of course the disciples are the students in this verse and Jesus is the teacher.  Jesus goes on to say in the chapter that it is because of the teacher that the students will become persecuted.  In other words, the student is taking on the characteristics of the teacher.  The same premise applies to our lives as we are the student and Jesus is our Teacher.  Let’s go one more step further, we are the teacher and our children are the students.  They will take on our characteristics, sometimes good and sometimes bad! 

There are several items in our home with the popular scripture verse, “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.  Joshua 24:15  This verse has not been something that I have purposefully sat down and taught  to my children.  They have just seen it displayed in their surroundings ever since they were babies.  As they have grown older and have become capable of reading and comprehending this scripture, I am amazed by how they have applied it to their own little lives as they have watched how their father and I live what we believe no matter how difficult life may become.  Let me share with you a few recent examples of how my teaching-conduct impacted the lives of my student-children, for both the positive and the negative.

Our family has recently moved from my dream home.   When we purchased this home, I envisioned having our children growing up in it and then some day Lord willing, having our future daughter-in-laws and  grandchildren in it for family gatherings and holiday celebrations.  There were plans for the home to be used for ministry and of course plans to grow old together with my husband in it.  That was my plan for our family’s future and the dream was shattered.  However, as hard and painful as it was to go through, my vision was, and still is, at times shortsighted, because God had a better plan for our family.  As we endured this financial trial for several years, we had a choice in our attitudes and actions, we could complain about our situation or accept that God had something different and better in mind for us.  By the way, God is ALWAYS smarter than we are, because He is the Teacher and we are the student! 

Anyways, as we signed a lease agreement for our rental home, the Landlord asked us how the kids were handling the loss of the home, and in my mind, I found that to be an odd question.  The reason being is the last few years we have been preparing our children that at some point, Jesus will move us to a different home.  What we did not do is teach our children to throw a tantrum when things don’t go our way and we did not show our children to doubt God and be consumed with fear and anxiety of what our life would be like.  We were teaching the young disciples to have faith in a Great God no matter how things do not go according to our plans. 

So, this is what my older son caught in the midst of this trial.  He embraced the situation with child-like faith and saw something good.  He is so very excited to move to this new home because there are giant trees in the backyard and he has always wanted to build a treehouse!  Later that evening he came home and wrote in his finest penmanship, “As for me and my treehose, we will serve the Lord.”  Joshua 24:15  Yes, he spelt hose, instead of house!  After seeing what he wrote for the first time, I saw such excitement in his heart for the Lord.  Now, of course there was that twinge in my mind for the misspelling of the word ‘house’, but I realized that his heart was right and I just gently taught him the correct spelling of the word.  As the Enemy continually attacks me for not teaching my son well enough because he could not spell the word correctly, the Lord gently reminds me of my son’s growing, godly character which will prove far more valuable in life.

Now for the negative example of me as a teacher...after the Lord blessed us with the wonderful gift of this rental home, I decided to act like an ungrateful child who did not appreciate the gift rather than being content and thankful for it.  I referred to the house as if it were a “pig with lipstick”, in other words, it was nice in a few places, but overall, it was like a pig!  My younger son caught on to this negative attitude and he informed my husband that he did not want to move from our current home because the new one was crummy!  I don’t think I will be receiving the ‘Teacher of the Year’ Award for that example!   Needless to say, he learned the negative attitude from his teacher.

Your children’s understanding of the Lord is what they see in you and what you teach them.  They are always watching, perhaps not very intentionally, but watching none the less.  So, you always have a choice in any and all situations that you are in, you could have faith and be thankful for all that God is doing in your life or you could throw a tantrum, whine and complain, be fearful and full of anxiety and teach your children those attitudes just as well. 

My hope and prayer for you and your family is that you do the best you can to be a reflection of your Heavenly Father to your children, it is through that growing process that you will become like The Great Teacher and your students will become like Him as well.

Praise Him In the Storm

All of us have trials from time to time and some trials are greater than others. As our new President takes office we know it will bring about change and uncertainty for our country and our family. Our parental rights are being threatened and we have concerns about the future laws that our children may have to live with. The economy has become worse and worse. Foreclosures are everywhere. Many people have anxiety over job stability. Financial difficulties are becoming a way of life for some. A marriage becomes increasingly more difficult. Conflicts with others are not being resolved. Some fret and worry about the way they are training and teaching their children. Another may have on-going illnesses for either themselves or their children. In-laws or neighbors threaten your homeschooling decision. The list of trials could go on and on.

The world we live in right now is just falling apart. Everyone seems to be affected by it in one way or another, although, the severity may not be the same. You may not be experiencing a trial right at this moment, but we know we will not be without them in our lifetime. Jesus has said, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Even though we know what the Word of God says, sometimes life is so difficult that it is hard to endure the trial set before us. The trial is so big it has become a great storm in our life.

Jesus’ disciples experienced a great trial too. As they were in the boat and the great storm took place on the sea, they cried out to Jesus saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” It was only natural for the disciples to fear for their lives based on the situation they were in, however, they had Jesus in the boat with them! What did they have to fear? Not only was Jesus in the boat with them, but He was taking a nap. Jesus was so comfortable with the situation that they were in, He was sleeping!

“Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!" But He said to them, "Why are you fearful , O you of little faith?" Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.” Matthew 8:23-26

As Jesus awoke and rebuked the winds, He also rebuked the disciples with their lack of faith. Jesus was not surprised by the trial that was set before the disciples. Neither is He surprised by the trials that many of us are currently going through.

You might be wondering why I am writing an article about trials and what they have to do with homeschooling. Well, if you believe homeschooling is a way of life like I do, then trials and homeschooling will most definitely go hand in hand! We can’t avoid the storms in our life, but what we can do is have the right attitude while we are going through them. When Jesus was in the boat with the disciples, He was sleeping. He wasn’t fretting or walking back and forth pacing in the boat, no, He was sleeping!

I know when I am in the midst of a storm, I try to have the perspective that “I am sleeping in the boat with Jesus”. I don’t want to freak out or walk around as if I have no joy or hope, (which at times I certainly do feel that way)! However, I do not want my demeanor to always be without joy and hope when I go through a trial, because I personally feel that I am being a bad witness as a believer. I have an opportunity to praise the Lord in the midst of my storm or I can go through life blaming someone else or just plain wallowing in my despair. It is easier for me to do the latter, but wallowing is not something I want to show or teach my children when life gets difficult. We have an opportunity to teach our children about trials as we go through our day. We are able to pray with them and explain to them that Jesus is in control of the situation, He hears our prayers and He loves us more then we love ourselves.

When our children get older they will face trials too. Just because we shelter our children from negative influences today, that does not mean we will be able to shelter them from a trial they will experience as they get older, and perhaps we should not. We go through trials for a reason. They strengthen us and shape us into the character that we have today. Trials refine us and help us to rely on the Lord for our strength as opposed to our own strength. “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:2-4

Trials bring about the workings of the Body of Christ as we are in the middle of our storm. The “Body” helps to bear our burdens. “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2 The Body of Christ is exercising their gifts as they serve the Lord by serving others; this is a beautiful picture of Christ’s love for us and we ought to expose our children to such a wonderful experience. They should see others helping you and you helping others. They should be by your side as you make and serve dinner to a family that is ill or a family who just had a new baby. They should be included and prompted to pray for someone who is in need. Not only will you start to see your children’s spiritual gifts starting to emerge, but this helps to strengthen your child’s prayer life too. Share with them also the answered prayer requests so they can see and hear how God has provided a miracle for the situation.

Don’t hide the storm that you are going through from your children, unless of course it is a marital issue that is not appropriate for them to hear. Go through the storm with Jesus and your family. Teach them that you are relying on the Lord to help you with your situation. Your children will never be able to learn how to go through a real life trial by reading a story in a book because the book could never fully describe the emotion, concern, and distress as much as what our children will witness in real life. Our children will learn how to handle a trial by watching us. If you constantly hide your concerns and emotions from your children, they will never learn from you, other than that you always remained quiet about a situation. As I write this, it is a reminder to myself to pull my children in closer to me as I go through life, the good times and the bad. Again, make sure you use discernment about what is appropriate to share with your children and what is not. Obviously a child under the age of 4 will not be able to comprehend as much as an 8 yr. old or a teenager, but you don’t need to go into great detail as your share with them. You could just tell them that Mommy is having a hard day because she doesn’t feel well, but let’s pray and ask Jesus to heal Mommy, etc. When you feel better make sure you let your child know that Jesus healed Mommy. Continue that pattern as your child grows older and expand the details as appropriate.

If the storm in your life is so great, remember, “the LORD is near to those who have a broken heart.” Psalm 34:18 Don’t be discouraged if you have not been able to teach much history or science to your children while you have been in the storm. The LORD knows what your children should be learning and when they should be learning it. Perhaps He feels they should be learning more about how to biblically handle a trial and how to praise the LORD while we go through them, rather than learning about World History right at this moment!

Praise Him in the storm and show your children how to do the same.

How I Hindered My Child From the Kingdom of Heaven

I will never forget the day that I brought my child to tears, the day that I made him cry over something as silly as a reading lesson. It was a day where I had placed a higher emphasis upon his intellectual abilities rather than on his heart and emotions. It was a day I hindered him from the Kingdom of Heaven.  It was a usual morning at our house; we were sitting on our couch going over our reading lesson again. Although it was an ordinary day in general terms, what was not ordinary (at least in my mind) was for my child, who was 7 yrs. old at the time, was not able to comprehend how to blend the basic phonetic sounds in the English language. Over the years we had spent many hours playing phonetic-based games, hands-on projects, phonic DVDs and computer games, etc. We had tried every type of learning tool we could find to teach our child how to read.

On that particular morning I had resolved myself to making sure that my son was going to master the subject before him, so I dug my heels in and put aside everything else in my schedule so I could devote my time to teaching him to read. It went something like this: I pointed out the letters and the sounds that each made, M-A-N. MMM AAA NNN, Man. “Now you try”, I said to my child. His response was mmm- aaaa- rrrr- nnnn, Marn. Marn? “No honey, there is no ‘r’ in the word, Man.” Over and over we tried. M-A-N. Again and again we practiced. I was determined to not give up until my child could master blending simple words. I pushed and pushed and became evermore forceful. Then next thing I heard from my son is, “I can’t Mommy.”  “Yes, you can.” I said with a loud, angry and frustrated tone. My son started to cry and then I realized that I had broken his spirit.  Now, this particular child of mine is not known for being very sensitive and I thought to myself that it was rather odd that he responded that way. I sat there pondering his reaction and I can still remember it years later.

Within minutes, my husband, who was at home at the time, came out of his office and asked what the problem was and I told him. He said, “It’s simple, let me do it” My response was, “Gladly”.

As he attempted to teach our son to read, he was faced with the exact same response. Our son could not get it and he started to cry again.  As I sat there looking on, I realized that my teaching priorities and goals were outside of God’s Will. I deemed my child’s reading abilities more important than my child. If Jesus were the teacher that morning, He would not have brought this precious child to tears just because he was not able to read the word, ‘man’.  God’s Word is very clear when it comes to His perspective about His children, “Jesus said,  “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14 Jesus’ motivation is for all children to feel loved and accepted by Him. He does not want them to be put aside because of His busyness or agenda, nor would He want the children to feel like they could not measure up to His standards. He wants all of His children to be a part of His Kingdom.  Just thinking about our Savior should bring us to a place where we feel protected, accepted, loved, and wonderfully created.  If Jesus were sitting next to us right now, would we ever feel as if we had any short-comings or defects in our abilities? Of course not! After all, He is the one who made us and He is the one who made our children. Jesus would be patient with us and He would be patient with our children no matter how long it takes them to read! He desires our children’s hearts and obedience so they can ultimately spend eternity with Him.

As I look back to the year that I was forcing my child to read, I realized there was a reason why I pondered the situation my son was in and why the Lord has allowed me to remember it; it is so I can share my own personal failures as a mother/teacher as well as share the things that the Lord has taught me with respect to teaching my children.

Perhaps you are trying to instruct your child on how to read or to understand a new math or science concept, what ever the subject is that you are trying to teach them, remember the most important subject to teach your child about is Jesus Himself, and the desire He has for your child’s salvation and their faith in the Lord. The actions that we display before our children on a day to day basis will determine whether or not our children will want to follow our Savior.

While teaching our children how to read is a very important and needed skill, however, that is not the most important thing in life, what is the most important thing is having a saving knowledge of faith in our Creator. My goal in teaching my son to read is so he can read the Word of God, first and foremost. While this is an honorable and noble goal, if it is done without love, it will hinder my child from entering the Kingdom of Heaven.