Tag Archives: be encouraged

The Real Homeschool Story

If only I knew how this story was going to end….

Then I think I could do this, I agonized while snuggling into my husband one night.

And it’s not even that I minded the hard work, the sacrifice, and the challenge of homeschooling so much. It’s more the thought of doing all this…for nothing…that got to me. What if it didn’t amount to anything? Or, worse, what if I wasn’t doing it right?

Yes, it was the possibility of this turning out to be more of a fantasy than a Real Life story that discouraged and made me want to give up. I was really counting on a happy ending for this one.

I know. Kinda silly. But that’s how my mind works sometimes (especially when I’m overtired). I want to rush ahead and find out where we’re going with all this….

I want to know the end of the story.

Yet that’s not how it works with homeschooling. You only get to go through one chapter at a time. One child at a time. And on some days? One word at a time.

But take heart, you might not get to peek at the ending, but I’m confident it’s going to be a very good story and certainly one worth writing. And one worth reading someday too.

Hoping to Write a Real Homeschool Story?

1. Don’t be discouraged by a day. It’s only one day. And such days do not determine the entire tale. Just turn that page and keep going. As Anne of Green Gables says, “Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?” Lovely thought. Tomorrow is a fresh piece of paper on which to write something totally new.

2. It’s a story about a relationship – not a method. Truly. It doesn’t matter what curriculum you use or what subjects you cover. While it might not be how it’s presented out there, that’s the inside scoop. What matters is their hearts. That terrific (or lousy) math curriculum will never have the significant impact on their lives that a loving, learning, teaching parent will. You are what they really need.

3. Don’t read over someone else’s shoulder. Their story is not your story. That family over there might look accomplished and successful. And that’s great for them. But you are on your own unique adventure. Look to the Lord what for what He intends for your family. He’s got something in mind specially suited to you.

4. Review Your Main Theme. Remind yourself why you’re doing what you’re doing. “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Prov. 29:18). So if you feel like you’re “perishing”? Go back to the beginning. Why you started this story in the first place. It might be just what you need to tackle that next chapter.

5. The Lord wants to reveal Himself through your story. Above all. We sometimes forget that this isn’t actually all about us. Or even our children. It’s about the Author and what He’s doing in us and through us.

You only have to let Him shine. Yep. Let Him shine through your weaknesses, your set-backs, and even your mistakes. And isn’t it reassuring to realize that this whole thing doesn’t depend on us, but on Him who is more than able?

So I guess we know how this story is going to end after all.

Because we know Him.

And He’s the Real Story.

Lisa is the happily-ever-after wife of Matt Jacobson, literary agent and author, and together they enjoy raising and home-educating their 8 children. She’s also rather fond of dark chocolate, French press coffee, and deep friendships (though not necessarily in that order). She encourages women to embrace the rich life of loving relationships and the high calling of being a wife and mother. You can find her sharing her passion for husband, home, and family over at Club31Women and on Facebook.

He’s Good Like That

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Sunrise in the pacific northwest: Mount Saint Helens in the distance

Well, today’s the day. Today, we pull out of our cozy home here in Washington and hit the road. On tap for today: 10 hours of driving.

Yesterday was rough. Jay and I flew in from speaking at CAPE in Albuquerque on Sunday. I unpacked our suitcases, ran some laundry, and packed them up again.

When preparing to leave home for two months, you’ve got to have your thinking cap on.

Only yesterday, my poor little thinking cap seemed to have been misplaced. I felt overwhelmed. The kind of overwhelmed that keeps you from cleaning your house because you don’t know where to start. I struggled to think clearly. Even my lists were overwhelming!

And then there is the fear that plagues my heart and mind.

What if we are robbed again? What if we break down? What if someone gets sick or injured? What if …

Here’s the thing: God already knows what’s going on. It does not do me any good to worry. And the most frustrating thing for me is that I know it!

Busy mom, we serve an awesome God. He gets it.

Today as I sat down to read my Bible, I looked at the calendar and noticed it was April 23. I don’t normally do this but I sensed that God would have me read Psalm 23 — and in the quietness of the dawn,God met me.

Psalm 23

¹The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
² He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³ he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
⁴Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

⁵You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
⁶Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

Isn’t God good!? He knows exactly what we need each day. Are you spending time with Him each day, busy mom? He wants to meet with you. As I read today, God gently reminded me that He’s right.here. He’s always been here. He always will be.

He guides us along RIGHT paths–for His name’s sake.

He leads us beside quiet waters.

He restores our souls.

Mom, whatever you’re facing today, you can trust Him. Whatever you walk through, He’s walking beside you. He’s got it covered.

He’s good like that.

When Life Hurts

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I was in the middle of a math lesson yesterday when I heard the news… terror had struck the Boston Marathon.

Heartsick, I stopped school. We sat in silence, watching. Waiting.

Like you, I’ve learned it can be real now.

I remember well September 11, 2001. I was in bed with my infant son when the news broke. We turned on the TV, just in time to see the second plane hit the World Trade Center. At first, we could not believe what was happening in front of us–and then, the reality began to sink in.

It.Was.Real.

There really is evil in this world.

So much heartache. So much grief. So much pain.

How do we even begin to comprehend this kind of suffering?

We don’t. That’s all.

Grief is it’s own master. It comes and goes at will. Like many of you, I’ve learned that grief washes over a sorrowing person like waves on the seashore…

Remember when daddy used to swing with us?
Remember those stories mama read?
Remember how very tiny she was? So. Tiny. I loved her.

For me, 9/11 was a time of innocence lost. A reminder that we truly never know what tomorrow will bring.

In this world, we need an anchor. An anchor for the soul. I loved this from Max Lucado:

On 9/11 we turned to the sturdiest anchor of all: God. Only He promises to secure our most precious commodity—our souls. When God breathed into Adam, he gave him more than oxygen; he gave him an eternal essence. He gave you the same. Because of your soul, you wrestle with right and wrong, value the lives of others and get choked up at the singing of our national anthem. The soul is that part of you dares to believe that good comes out of evil, Right still sits on the throne and the next life will make sense of this one.

The older I get, the more I realize just how little is within my control.

Last night, I was talking with a friend about the pain of a miscarriage my husband and I suffered many years ago. Sometimes, we just don’t understand. Sometimes, life just hurts. Sometimes, the “whys” of this life can be overwhelming.

But even when life hurts, we can trust . The Bible teaches us that we can run to God when life hurts. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

God never promised us a world without suffering. But He did promise that in the midst of sorrow, when life hurts, He would be there.

When life hurts, we can run to Him.

In the midnight hours, when the questions arise that are beyond comprehension, we can read His words:

He promised never to leave us (Matthew 28:20). He said, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20). He is “a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). We’re assured that “the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer” (1 Peter 3:12).

You can run to Him too, busy mom. He hears. He’s present.

Even when life hurts.

Only God … Makes Things Grow

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Monday. Here we go again.

I don’t know about you but the older my kids get, the faster the days go.

Each day has it’s own challenges, but in many ways, the days are like each other: dishes, laundry, tidy up, discipline, train, teach.

This morning as I spent a little time in 1 Corinthians 3, I was reminded that God, who does all things well, knows exactly what I need for each day. He’s not fretting over the details, either. He’s simply waiting for me to do my part.

Allow me to paraphrase – meaning, this is what the Lord showed me as I was reading this beautiful passage today.

v.5-6 …the Lord has assigned to each his task. You and your husband plant and water the seed, but God makes it grow.”

Such a wonderful reminder! Don’t grow weary in doing good, busy mom.

Do your part today. Water, nurture, water some more. Love your kids today. Praise them. Discipline them.

And then trust God.

Only God makes things grow.

“He makes all things beautiful … in His time.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11

Seven Minutes

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Seven minutes. That’s all the time I had this morning before the kids came in. Yesterday was so full of surprises that I didn’t get to writing until about 8:30pm – so naturally, I overslept this morning. The kids of course, decided that today was a good day to get get up 45 minutes early. I’m not sure why, but the little ones in our house wake up full of WORDS and the big kids … well it’s hard to get them out of bed, let alone get many words out of them before 8:30 a.m.

Funny that the two-year old is bright eyed and bushy tailed. She has a list of things she wants me to do already. Starting with … well you know the drill. “I just needed a half an hour more!”, I thought to myself. I’m not ready to be a mom yet!

It’s amazing that before 7:00 a.m. I have already had the chance to grouchy and irritable – or full of grace and love.

It’s a good thing God gets it.

“Morning by morning, O Lord, You hear my voice; morning by morning I lay my requests before you … and wait in expectation.” Psalm 5:3

You know, the more I learn about God, the more I think that He is a morning person. 🙂 And I think it’s because God knows that we need His strength, wisdom and joy … first thing in the morning … to make it through any given day.

We just never know what a day will bring. But God does.

Lay your requests before the Lord this morning, busy mom. Even if you only have seven minutes to do it in. Make those first precious minutes count by driving your spiritual “car” through God’s gas station. Fill up with His words. Ask Him for His help.

He’ll give you what you need for today.

He’s good like that.

Remember My Chains – A Lesson From Paul

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I grew up in the seventies and eighties. My grandparents sent us to a private Christian school (which I loved, by the way.)

The time that I was growing up was known for two things that I remember clearly. I say clearly because I’m sure there are many more things that I can’t remember! You know they say that with each child, you lose some brain cells. Seven times whatever … well you can do the math. It ain’t pretty.

In any case those two things that I remember are these:

I remember the excess of the 80’s – the Christmas tree was overflowing with gifts and everyone was trying to “one up” everyone else. Cars, houses, clothes. I don’t think it was because of my private school education, either. The same little competitions were happening on my cul-de-sac.

The eighties however came with some baggage from the seventies. And honestly, I think that “baggage” had been there for decades before. I can’t compare them of course but the baggage I’m referring to is this: we had a hard time saying what was “really” going on.

My grandparents, whom I loved dearly, we very tight-lipped about anything that seemed amiss in our perfect private-school family. And I don’t think it’s because they were afraid. I think it’s because of a misguided sense of care for us. Well, and fear. Okay, and pride. That too.

It’s funny how we think that by not sharing our weaknesses and struggles that others will somehow be encouraged by our example.

I was reading Colossians 4 in a quiet nook of my bedroom today. (Okay let’s be honest: it’s only truly quiet here at 6:30 a.m., so if you ever hear me say my house is quiet, assume it’s early in the morning.) Anyway, my heart was heavy. I struggled to read the Bible without being distracted or jumping ahead to make my list for the day.

In fact, I was pretty distracted until I read the very.last.verse of Colossians 4. Here’s what it says:

^”I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains.”

I was struck by the image of this man in chains for the sake of the gospel. But I was more struck by the fact that he was not trying to impress anyone with his “tough it out” attitude. And this was an apostle! He was a super-star for Christ, someone that was looked up to and admired by many.

I went back to the beginning of the chapter and discovered that Paul asked for help again and again. He told the truth. He didn’t put on a “brave” face and he didn’t try to keep his struggles a secret.

v. 3 – “pray for us, that God may open a door for our message”
v. 7 – “Tychicus will tell you all the news about me.”
v. 9 – “They will tell you everything that is happening here.”
v. 12 -“He (Epaphras) is always standing in prayer for you.”
v. 16 – Paul gives instruction to tell about his circumstances in Laodicea
v. 18 – “Remember my chains.”

Remember my chains. In other words, don’t forget me. I need your prayers.

It reminds me of the time I was struggling with a newborn who never slept. One night, I asked my dear friend to just please remember me at 2 a.m., 3:30 a.m. etc. I really thought that I might die from sleep deprivation if no one prayed for me!

When I look at Paul, it’s clear: prayer was essential to his life. Here was a guy that was truly suffering. And he didn’t care who knew it. Why? Because he knew that he needed to be undergirded. He knew he needed the prayers of his other brothers and sisters. I think it’s interesting that Paul didn’t seem to care what other people thought of his suffering.

That’s usually what hangs me up.

Paul knew there was power in prayer. So he asked for it. He told the truth. In so doing, he opened the door to what could have been wide-spread criticism.

I think he did so because he had his eyes on the bigger picture. He was trying to follow God. And he knew he needed prayer more than he needed to guard his pride.

The next time you have a chance to talk with a friend and you sense an opportunity to be real, take it. We need each other, busy moms.

Are you in pain? Is your marriage in need of prayer? Are you struggling with a strong-willed child? Wondering if you’re really cut out of this motherhood thing?

Then you’re in good company. Keep it real. Let’s pray for each other. The road is a long one. I say we travel it together and carry one-another’s burdens.

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up…” I Thessalonians 5:11

Faith vs Formula

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Good morning busy moms! You’ve made it to Wednesday! *Elmo says: “I’m proud of you!* 🙂 Today, I feel like the Little Engine that Could 🙂 Can you relate?

I’ve been thinking about something lately, and here’s the deal: I’m not gonna lie to you (I’m no good at it anyway.)

I know many wish that there was a formula for homeschooling or parenting that would produce the perfect result.

There isn’t.

There’s only faith.

I read yet another blog post yesterday from a young woman who grew up in a harsh environment and now blames her parents. 🙁 And I don’t know, maybe they were to blame.

But my hunch is that they were just two people who really did want to be the best parents they could be. My hunch is that that desire drew them into a formulaic style of parenting that was rigid and un-yeilding. Unfortunately, more often than not, it does not yield the desired “result”. It often produces rebellion and ends up tearing at the parent/child relationship instead of undergirding it.

Faith is harder than formula-it requires a daily surrendering of both my spirit and my will. It also forces me to look at my own weaknesses as a human being. When I hold those up to the light-well, let’s just say it gives me more grace for my children as I help them navigate the sometimes choppy waters of this world.

No great speaker or author is going to be able to give you ANY piece of advice that can replace the voice of the Spirit in your life. Listen for God’s voice today, busy mom.

And if you’re looking for a place to start, try the Bible.

Colossians 3:12 says, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

There may not be a formula-and that’s okay. We don’t need one, because we’ve got God’s word to guide and direct us.

Let’s pray for each other as we love our husbands and our children. Let’s pray that we might be kind, humble and gentle.

I’d say pray for patience too… but then I’d be signing up for a test of my patience so I’ll just leave that one “implied.”

But I will pray for JOY today. The kind that will help my children see how much I love them and how much I enJOY having them in our home.

I hope our kids remember that even though we didn’t get it all right, we sure loved them like crazy.

At the end of the day-it won’t be the bookwork or the math problems that will determine whether or not we get a passing grade on our parenting. It will be our relationships that determine what those end marks will be.

I choose joy.

Heidi St. John

Speaking the Truth in Love

Tag Archives: be encouraged

The Real Homeschool Story

He’s Good Like That

Psalm 23

When Life Hurts

Only God … Makes Things Grow

“He makes all things beautiful … in His time.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11

Seven Minutes

Remember My Chains – A Lesson From Paul

Faith vs Formula

Psalm 23

“He makes all things beautiful … in His time.” Ecclesiastes 3:11

“He makes all things beautiful … in His time.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11