Wanna Be a Steader!

No Credit of My Own

Is. 26:12 -- "Lord, You establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished You have done for us."

If you count Kindergarten, this is our 15th year of homeschooling.  My goodness!...what seemed such a long-term, daunting task back then seems like only yesterday now.  My youngest will be a Senior NEXT YEAR!  I, honestly, can't imagine any other life choice for our family.  We have relationships with our daughters that we would never have had if they were away from us all day...over 24,000 hours during their school career.

Through it all, the Lord has been a stead-fast anchor.  It was His idea for us to homeschool.  He put the "want to" in my heart when I was 19, even before I became a Christian and found out about homeschooling at the age of 23.  Finding out that I could keep my children at home was such a confirmation of God's love and concern for me as a new Christian.  I couldn't help considering it one of those moments when God smiled down and whispered in my ear, "See, I really am here and I care about even the smallest desires of your heart."  What a sweet assurance.

Sometimes I wonder what it is that God has planned for my daughters.  How should I direct their educational paths?  Their Jr. High and Sr. High years have become even more special than the early homeschool years.  During these years we actually get to prayerfully guide their academics and electives toward the gifts and callings they feel God has placed on their lives.  How exciting!  I'm beginning to know how the Apostle Paul felt when he said, "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.  So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, Who makes things grow."  (1 Cor. 3:6&7)  These years seem to be the beginning of the harvest of all the labor and pruning in our homeschool garden.  Now is when we get to watch how God has made them grow and blossom.

Even more than academically educated, we want our daughters to be godly young women, who marry godly young men (and know what to look for in the mean time), who will serve the Lord in their homes and in their churches with gladness.  Since homeschool involves "real life," they already know that not everyday is happy or without stress, however they also know where their joy, their provision and their salvation come from.  Being home, our girls have lived through prayful decisions and the prayers for provision when the bank account and pantry were low...and have seen those prayers answered time and time again.  Those are the REAL economics lessons and the REAL testaments to God working in our lives!

I would love to take the credit for the precious, loving, giving daughters that I am raising.  But I just can't.  I am me.  I know me.  And, for better or worse, my daughters know me.  Hopefully, I serve as an example of God's never ending grace...my hope is that that will be one of the greatest lessons they learn.  And it will have been by God's hand that they have been taught it.  As I said:  I know me...I can take no credit for what God has done in their lives.  He is SO good, SO faithful.  Even when we are not.

Many parents seem to think that they can't homeschool their children through the Jr. High and Sr. High years...let me encourage you to NOT throw away some of the best years of your homeschool career.  If you need help with the "higher" subjects, get it.  But don't give up watching the blossoming of what God has chosen to do through you and your homeschool.  There is peace and satisfaction in knowing that you have been a part of God's rich plan that HE is accomplishing in the lives of your children.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<>< 

Lovely

01:13, 2007-Sep-26 .. Posted by YPAmy5

Kim- Thank you so much for sharing this lovely and VERY encouraging post. Almost makes me look forward to the Jr/Sr high years . . . . almost.
Thank you for your continued mentoring to homeschoolers thru your blog.
You are a blessing.