Can You Find Joy.......

while spending almost every waking minute with your kids?  You can!!!  There is no powerful formula or special uniform to wear but there is one special book that can give you the strength to find it even when you are least likely to expect it.  Picking up the Word before you jump head long into your school day will give you the strength and the ability to find joy, even when you think it just can't be.

Homeschooling moms face a very unique challenge.  They are with their children pretty much all the time.  Visiting with others that don't have your name on their birth certificate is a welcomed treat and we homeschooling moms sometimes go long stretches without a much needed visit.  There are days when it feels that all of your conversations have ended with, "because I said so!" and all that you really wanted was to accomplish one subject without having to ask three or four times and have a clean bathroom!  Making time in an already busy day isn't always easy but it is so necessary not just for our sanity but for our hearts.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:29)

Jesus has already provided a way for us to not only make it through our day but to find joy in doing so.  We learn from the many stories in the Word that even though Jesus gave continuously of himself, He found joy in His calling and by spending time with Him, we too can find that rest that will help us see the joy in even the most messy situations. 

Spending time in the Word doesn't have to mean hours of reading and studying.  There are days when I feel like God has shown me what He wants to show me in the first three verses I have read.  I find on these days that these scriptures are played over and over again in my mind and are making an imprint on my heart that God really wants me to get.  Other days I spend more time reading, learning, and listening to God's voice in my Bible time.  Don't not read the Word because you are afraid that your 5 minutes won't be enough or that God will be displeased.  Five minutes is better than nothing and you just never know, that 5 minutes may be what helps you to see the joy when your children have all abandoned their school work, have headed out the door and are caught up in a game acting out their history lesson (and you thought nothing could go wrong while you were in the bathroom for 3 minutes!).

Joyfully educating our children,
Judy

A New Year, A New Commitment

We are committed to educating our children.  We are committed to doing this at home, in the car, at church, at homeschool group, anywhere our journey takes us, we are committed to the education our children. 

Homeschooling takes commitment.  It takes dedication.  It takes guts.  Yes, guts!  It isn't easy being the odd man out in society or going against the grain but when you are called, called by the Creator of this universe, you listen.  You  may take a few different detours to get it right and you may cause yourself and others much heartache in this process, but when you eventually do get it right your level of commitment is strengthened and your resolve is stronger.  The Waitleys are committed.

If you are considering homeschooling, pray, seek, and make a commitment.  I know people that have homeschooled for a month or two and said, oh, I can't do this and quit.  A month or two isn't going to give you a good "feel" for what you are undertaking and more than likely, you are going to have a lot of rough days as you work out the kinks.  Don't quit, commit.  Make a commitment to see it through the bad days because you KNOW what the benefits are otherwise you wouldn't have ever started homeschooling in the first place.  :-)

If you are already homeschooling, I encourage you to pray about your commitment to educate your children.  Seek God, trust Him to help you on the bad days, and know that His plan for families is truly the best plan out there.  His book is the best parent help book on the planet!  Even on bad days when a five minute break in the bathroom is needed every ten minutes, it is still His perfect plan!  The stronger your commitment is to educating your children at home, the easier it will be to get through those days that just seem like they will never end.

Homeschooling is an amazing journey that we are so grateful for.  Our family is strengthened and more connected because of this journey.  The New Year has brought not only a fresh start but an even greater commitment.  The Waitleys are committed to educating their children at home through the strength and wisdom of Jesus Christ.

Committed,
Judy