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