As we neared the end of language arts today, I could see that I was losing Silas (our 14 year old)…he was distracted by some mosquito bites that were itching and just overall having a hard time focusing. We pressed through just a few minutes past that, took a break and moved on to reading out loud.
I want to share this with you because in our over 23 years of homeschooling, not one single day has gone “perfectly”. Yet, there is the constant temptation to shoot for perfection as opposed to facilitating what GOD is orchestrating. One focuses strictly on a check list, the other focuses mainly on relationships…my relationship with God (following HIS lead) and my relationship with our son.
Even though today language arts was not ideal, it doesn’t matter because God had something better and more important He wanted to do through reading out loud.
We are reading Black Beauty and today we read about a young man who had a habit of being cruel to animals. A good teacher took the opportunity to teach all the boys who were present, a very important lesson:
He explained how hard-hearted and cowardly it was to hurt the weak and the helpless. He went on to explain that cruelty was the devil’s own trademark, and if we saw any one who took pleasure in cruelty, we might know who he belonged to, for the devil was a murderer from the beginning, and a tormentor to the end. On the other hand, he said, where we saw people who loved their neighbors and were kind to man and beast, we might know that was God’s mark, for “God is Love”
“There is no religion without love and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham-all a sham…and it won’t stand when things come to be turned inside out, and put down for what they are.”-Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
I watched Silas’ expressions as I read this to him and it was obvious that THIS was the important thing that God had for Silas today. His face showed me that his heart was being permeated with a much more important lesson than helping verbs.
It makes me incredibly thankful to be able to homeschool and to be that person who so often connects my kids to God.
As moms we are more connected to our kids than anyone. We love them more than anyone else and it’s that nurturing love that God often uses to reveal Himself to our kids.
So don’t stop taking the time to listen. Go to Him FIRST to hear the GOOD that He has for you and your kids!
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