Homeschooling without fear

"If you put these things before the brothers,you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe....Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers." I Timothy 4:6-10, 15-16


With school starting up in a couple of weeks my thoughts are turning towards the curriculum that I have ordered, the curriculum that I have and need to go through, how I want to schedule the days of school and what exactly I want to teach for Bible and History. This is my first year homeschooling 4 children and obviously the first time I have ever homeschooled a child who does not speak English.:)

I'll be honest, it becomes very easy for me to start to become anxious...anxious that I will not teach the kids all they need to know...anxious that the curriculum I have chosen is not "well-rounded" enough and they won't be at the same "level" as the rest of the kids in their grade...anxious that I'll miss something and they will fail in some way because of my mistake. I even feel guilty sometimes that they are missing out on the "fun" of a classroom...special projects, arts and crafts, special field trips, etc... I know that, because we homeschool, we have a lot more flexibility but that does not mean that I have a lot more creativity. Truth is, I am not a creative person at all and field trips make me tired just thinking about them.:)

So, when I came to this passage in 1 Timothy it was a needed reminder as I preach to myself instead of listen to myself. I have to remind myself what our ultimate goal in home schooling our kids is...The ultimate goal is that they will be trained in GODLINESS in all areas of their lives as we study a variety of different things and as we live out life day by day as a family. I am not trying to downplay the importance of science or history or arts and crafts ( there is a purpose!) but, as the Bible says, being trained in those things will only be of SOME value...while, being trained in the truths of the Word of God and growing in an understanding of the very nature and attributes of God has value IN EVERY WAY!!! Above all, in my home schooling and in my teaching I am to keep GODLINESS as the goal, as the reason I home school, as what is most important for my children to learn and grow in and I am to make sure that I am spending the brunt of my "toil and striving" in teaching them the ways of the Lord.

I do pray that they excel in all areas of school and that God gives me extra creativity to make it fun...but, if I remember the goal...if I live out and pursue the words in 1 Timothy 4, I can and will have a school year without fear and without guilt. The burden will be lifted and I will be left rejoicing that I have been given the greatest of all privileges...to point my children to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and to show them what it means to live a life that glorifies Jesus...whether they are eating, brushing their teeth, writing a paper, doing math problems, cleaning the bathroom or helping make lunch.

And, on a completely different subject...if I was an inventor here are two inventions that would be at the top of my list:

1)Self-cleaning sheets (do you know what a pain it is to change the sheets on THREE sets of bunk beds?!!!!!! not that I am complaining or anything :))

2)Motion sensors in all the bedrooms, bathrooms and hallway. If there is not movement within 30 seconds...then the light shuts off. If I didn't know better, I'd think they literally hit light switches at random as they walk by just for the fun of it.:)