Teri's Tips to Harried Homeschooler
by Teri Spray
Dear Teri: Help! My life seems to keep spinning out of control! What do I do when it seems I'm falling behind in EVERY THING? I think I'm failing at this home schooling. Please Help!
- " Harried Homeschooler"
Dear Harried:There are often times when we feel inadequate to the task of home education. The good news is YOU ARE INADEQUATE! So am I. Isn't it wonderful that "when we are weak, God is strong"? I am so thankful that, "His strength can be made perfect in our weaknesses." (2 Cor. 9-10) God has shown us that we would occastionally have storms in our lives which would cause our boats to rock and roll. There are many things which can rock our ship and our lives to seem to spin out of control: illness in ourselves and our loved ones, unplanned crises, accidents, moves and many other items. The big question to ask here is, "how can we stay afloat when the boat rocks?"
Step One: Seek Your Center
A stable boat has a low center of balance with a large centerboard to keep the boat steady. When your life seems out of control, chances are you need to refocus on your center to find the balance point. To become balanced, focus on the center of your life, your relationship with Jesus Christ. did you spend enough quiet time with the Lord today to HEAR His voice directing you? (If you have trouble "hearing" that still smal voice, ask the Lord to clear away you own thoughts and ask the Holy SPirit to come in strongly and do His will in your life.) Jot down any and all thoughts which come to you during prayer time. Continue to ask God during the day to sift your ideas and thoughts so that you can clearly discern His will for your day. The Holy Spirit will never contradict His scriptures.
Step Two: Enter into Sabbath Rest
One time when I was trying to minister to many people who were overwhelmed by perfectionist tendencies, the Lord reminded me, "The sabbath is made for man, not man for the sabbath." Then he sent me to Hebrews 4 to learn how important it is to enter into sabbath rest. Next, I felt the Lord showing me that he does not expect 7 out of 7 perfection from us, but if we allow ourselves to work on 6 out of 7, that he will cover number 7 for us by His grace in our daily lives. This will be liket eh way He provides for us when we give one day of labor to Him each week. How does this work? Keep your focus on your six important tasks and turn number seven over to the Lord and ask for His help to get it done. (Though my house is never immaculate, 6 out of 7 rooms are usually presentable.)
Step Three: Do the Next Thing
Your next step to becoming balanced is to prioritize your tasks. Once we spent a wonderful visit in a pastor's large custom-built country home. I was curious about a large carved wooden sign hanging near the kitchen door which read, "Do the Next Thing". I asked his wife about the sign and she explained, "When we were building this house, my husband would often become overwhelmed and discouraged. I gave him this sign to remind him that he only needed to worry about the next thing, not the entire project. It helped him so much that we have kept the sign up in our home. Now it remingds us whenever we get overwhelmed to simply do the 'next thing." I know, some of you are now saying, "but I have a hundred next things to do!" Wrong! Go back to step one and prayerfully ask God what he would have you do for your "next thing".
Step Four: Plan your Progress
Now that you have prayed through the important aspects of your day, you have resigned yourslef to ONLY do the NEXT thing on the list, now it is time to begin to look at your priorities clearly and focus yourself on the important rather than the urgent. This is where the "rubber meets the road". Make a list of no more than 3-5 items which are crucially important to attempt today. Each day work on your priorities from the most important down. Pray "without ceasing" during your day and worship the Lord with praise and songs to keep your attitude up and your focus clear. (1 Thess. 5:17)
Step Five: Submit to God, Resist the Devil, and He will Flee
Did you know that the devil hates home schooling? He tries to discourage you any way he can. First he tells you that you're "doing it wrong, you can't do this, you're not qualified, your child will end up illiterate and a loser..." Then when you do finally succeed at this, he comes back with lines like, "but that isn't the way they do it at school, you are all social misfits, this isn't REAL school, etc..." The only way to shut these lies off is to pray and submit yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ, then tell the devil and his cohorts to take a hike away from your thoughts. (James 4:7)
Step Six: Put Yourself in Order
Are you placing yourself in submission to God, your husband and to your spiritual leadership? Are you standing in godly authority over your children? It is important to remember that we are not always deserving of the position of authority, but it does not mean that we should withdraw from the position God has placed us in. For example, if an army general is not necessarily a kind or thoughtful person, it does not mean that his soldiers do not honor his position of authority. God forbid! Even if your husband is not always the kind and considerate man of God that he would like to be, it is important to continue to honor his office as priest of your home. Imperfect as we all are, it is very important to honor one another with respect and to demand the same respect and courtesy from our children.
Step Seven: Expect the Unexpected
As you are now focusing on God-given priorities and you are listening to God's encouragement and not the Enemy's condemnation, your best laid plans may still go topsy-turvy once in awhile. Over the years I have learned to always allow for catch-up and regroup times in my schedule. This is how I stay in balance and still accomplish many things which continue to amaze other women around me.
Here are my confessions of a chronic "messie": I need one day per week free to catch up on errands, phone calls, letters and housecleaning. I need to take one afternoon per week to sort and organize some area of my house. I need one weekend per month with nothing scheduled to simply have free-choice time with my family.
Don't forget, you can't do it all, and you definitely can't do it without the help of the Holy Spirit. Take heart sister, God is faithful, God is faithful even when we are faithless. He has called you to home school your children and he has a plan to help you do it. He didn't lead you this far to drop you into failure. Keep trusting and believing, then leave the results to Him.