1 Thessalonians 5:14
“And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.”
I picked this verse to challenge my heart as we start the school year – kind of tongue-in-cheek since I spend a lot of time ‘warning those who are disruptive’ 🙂 – but mostly to remind myself to serve humbly. I need grace to meet each where he or she is, not where I think he or she should be. And this transfers into all of life beyond these four walls.
Today was our first day. We’re homeschooling this year. We had a great year at the Christian school last year and Stella benefited in many ways. At this point, it is better for me to bring her back home with us so we can all be on the same routine, I can be more involved, and we can have a bit more time for her to enroll in some extra-curricular activities. We’re involved in a local Classical Ed Co-op. She started viola lessons Tuesday and will start art lessons at the end of the month.
I’m thankful for the opportunity to teach her this year. I remember when it first occurred to me a few years ago after something Pastor Ken said, that we as parents are ultimately responsible for our children’s education. We can do it ourselves or we can delegate it to someone else, but the buck stops with us either way. So, this year, we’ve cut out the middle man. That probably won’t always be the case, but this year it is.
Wendy Horger Alsup’s post here, was helpful for me as we thought, talked and prayed through this decision. And just recently, Matt sent me this post and book recommendation which is also thought provoking and something we are open-minded about for the future.
Education is important to us and we hope to give our kids the best quality possible. But as Christians, we have a philosophy of education that is subject to our ultimate mission through Christ’s church here on earth. The educational choices for our children will then, by the grace of God, be subject to what furthers that mission in their lives personally, the lives of those in our neighborhood, and our family life as a whole. Everything we do is for the sake of the gospel.
That thought connects me back to the verse I referenced at the beginning from 1 Thessalonians. The context of that passage is the Day of the Lord and our preparation for it. Everything comes full circle. Even my days, spent mostly at home for now, helping the weak and encouraging the disheartened, are furthering the mission, preparing us all for that great Day.
A Museum of Memories 
Welcome to the homeschooling club! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
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