faith looks back...
Lately I've been going through my yearly worries: mainly, that my girls aren't receiving all that they need in the way of education from me. Homeschooling is not for the faint of heart. So when I'm feeling faint, I doubt my abilities to do the job well. Or I look at others and start to fear we're not doing enough or we're focusing on unimportant subjects.
This morning as I was walking down the hall to the back part of the house, the thought suddenly just entered my mind (and I believe it was the Lord giving it), "You taught them to read, to write, to do all the basic math operations. You've potty-trained them, taught them to feed themselves, dress themselves, fix their own hair, bake, do simple cooking and follow a recipe, clean...the list goes on. Why will that rate of learning stop now? Why do you fear the future? God has been faithful, working in and through you to teach and train your children. Will he not keep being faithful in this way?" Wow. It's true. I remember how uncertain I was when I took on the task of homeschooling my second daughter. My first girlie had gone to public school for Kindergarten and First Grade, and was already reading when we began homeschooling. But my second two children would never set foot in any teacher's classroom but mine. If I failed, they would be illiterate. It felt heavy to consider that.
Early into Kara's Kindergarten year, we were rehearsing phonics. Mid-year, she was starting to put her sounds together. End of the year, she was reading little words. First grade began, and she was off and running. Reading came easily. And somehow, even though she's a "lefty," I managed to teach her proper letter formation which still today has resulted in the neatest handwriting of all 3 kids.
Then came the baby, Kendall. I think she was listening in on all of Kara's First grade lessons, so she had already picked up a lot of phonics. Reading came easily. And also, I was noticing how quick to absorb math skills my little blondie was.
And what about my smart little first-born? Well, she was reading like the world might suddenly run out of books. Her vocabulary was well above average. Her standardized tests in fifth grade showed her reading at a college level and above.
And what had I to do with all this? I just showed up every day, did the lessons (sometimes half-heartedly and with great fatigue), and prayed constantly! God was the one who did it. And He will keep doing it. Why do I doubt? Because I look at myself, my capabilities. I want ease of teaching and learning, even though I know the most well-learned lessons usually come through struggle and grappling with the problems. Yes. I know it's true in my own life. Why should I expect my children to breeze through all 13 years of school without trial, and difficulty at times? God will use it all.
The most important thing I can do for them each day is to pray. Then follows being here, being faithful to the task, and using all the resources God provides us to give them opportunities to learn and think like a godly person. I know, years from now, I will look back and say, "Why did I worry? God was faithful."
This morning as I was walking down the hall to the back part of the house, the thought suddenly just entered my mind (and I believe it was the Lord giving it), "You taught them to read, to write, to do all the basic math operations. You've potty-trained them, taught them to feed themselves, dress themselves, fix their own hair, bake, do simple cooking and follow a recipe, clean...the list goes on. Why will that rate of learning stop now? Why do you fear the future? God has been faithful, working in and through you to teach and train your children. Will he not keep being faithful in this way?" Wow. It's true. I remember how uncertain I was when I took on the task of homeschooling my second daughter. My first girlie had gone to public school for Kindergarten and First Grade, and was already reading when we began homeschooling. But my second two children would never set foot in any teacher's classroom but mine. If I failed, they would be illiterate. It felt heavy to consider that.
Early into Kara's Kindergarten year, we were rehearsing phonics. Mid-year, she was starting to put her sounds together. End of the year, she was reading little words. First grade began, and she was off and running. Reading came easily. And somehow, even though she's a "lefty," I managed to teach her proper letter formation which still today has resulted in the neatest handwriting of all 3 kids.
Then came the baby, Kendall. I think she was listening in on all of Kara's First grade lessons, so she had already picked up a lot of phonics. Reading came easily. And also, I was noticing how quick to absorb math skills my little blondie was.
And what about my smart little first-born? Well, she was reading like the world might suddenly run out of books. Her vocabulary was well above average. Her standardized tests in fifth grade showed her reading at a college level and above.
And what had I to do with all this? I just showed up every day, did the lessons (sometimes half-heartedly and with great fatigue), and prayed constantly! God was the one who did it. And He will keep doing it. Why do I doubt? Because I look at myself, my capabilities. I want ease of teaching and learning, even though I know the most well-learned lessons usually come through struggle and grappling with the problems. Yes. I know it's true in my own life. Why should I expect my children to breeze through all 13 years of school without trial, and difficulty at times? God will use it all.
The most important thing I can do for them each day is to pray. Then follows being here, being faithful to the task, and using all the resources God provides us to give them opportunities to learn and think like a godly person. I know, years from now, I will look back and say, "Why did I worry? God was faithful."
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