an end in sight
Why is it that we always want to see an end in sight when we're working? Rarely do we hear a soul say, "I wish there was more work to do in my life. Simply no end to my energy for this stuff. I love the feeling of sweat pouring down my face, muscles worn and brainwaves failing to make connections due to my exhaustion." Nope. At least not in this here house. I was attempting to "cheer on" my chidren to finish up their schoolwork for the year when I announced that after tomorrow we will have only 25 days of school left. I was excited. I surely thought they'd join me in it. "Ughhhhh....it might as well be ten weeks," said one child. "I just feel like I'm DONE with school" she continued. Hmm. Doesn't sound like now's the time to tell her about my little summer reading challenge I'm planning....
Truth be told, I feel as though this year has gone smashingly well for all that we've endeavored. Moving to a new country, new house, new church, new curriculum...new EVERYTHING....has not been pie in the sky easy. And yet, God has heard my cries...literal cries at times, for help in homeschooling these little treasures. Embracing a higher level of Charlotte Mason's educational methods at the ages my girls are at has been no easy task. I'm still torn at times by the difficulty of the material. Is it too much? Is it too unrelatable for their ages? But I've stuck to my guns this year, and I think it is paying off. God is merciful. He gives us what we could never produce on our own.
So as our school year begins to wind down I see some parallels to the Christian life. Sometimes we just want to be done. We want heaven. We want Jesus to break the skies. But it can be more about wanting to escape this hopeless earth and all the work involved (including battling sin, putting up with difficult people and circumstances) than about reuniting with our Savior and Best Friend. For now, God wants us to keep working. He wants us to find joy in it. I was reminded in Genesis recently that work was ordained BEFORE the fall of Adam, not after. "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it." Gen. 2:15 And in Ecclesiastes we see that work is a gift from God, even though we can be tempted to feel it has a pointless end. "There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil." Eccl. 2:24 "Everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil--this is God's gift to man." Eccl. 3:13
Truth be told, I feel as though this year has gone smashingly well for all that we've endeavored. Moving to a new country, new house, new church, new curriculum...new EVERYTHING....has not been pie in the sky easy. And yet, God has heard my cries...literal cries at times, for help in homeschooling these little treasures. Embracing a higher level of Charlotte Mason's educational methods at the ages my girls are at has been no easy task. I'm still torn at times by the difficulty of the material. Is it too much? Is it too unrelatable for their ages? But I've stuck to my guns this year, and I think it is paying off. God is merciful. He gives us what we could never produce on our own.
So as our school year begins to wind down I see some parallels to the Christian life. Sometimes we just want to be done. We want heaven. We want Jesus to break the skies. But it can be more about wanting to escape this hopeless earth and all the work involved (including battling sin, putting up with difficult people and circumstances) than about reuniting with our Savior and Best Friend. For now, God wants us to keep working. He wants us to find joy in it. I was reminded in Genesis recently that work was ordained BEFORE the fall of Adam, not after. "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it." Gen. 2:15 And in Ecclesiastes we see that work is a gift from God, even though we can be tempted to feel it has a pointless end. "There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil." Eccl. 2:24 "Everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil--this is God's gift to man." Eccl. 3:13
I needed this today, Kristin. Caring for a newborn is harder work than I ever imagined. And I do just want to be done. But... this is good work... it's a good job for me to have... I know God is going to sustain me in it.
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