Your Homeschool is a Gift

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“This job has been given to me to do. Therefore, it is a gift. Therefore, it is a privilege. Therefore, it is an offering I may make to God. Therefore, it is to be done gladly, if it is done for Him. Here, not somewhere else, I may learn God’s way. In this job, not in some other, God looks for faithfulness.” – Elisabeth Elliot (link HERE)

 

It’s Monday. You have several piles of laundry that need to be sorted, washed, dried, folded, and put away. There is a stack of dishes in the sink from the weekend, and mud is tracked all through the house from the back door to the bedroom from your littles playing outside in the snow. Everyone is a little extra tired after a later night at church, and yet, school has to be started. There are papers covering your desk that you need to organize, grade, and file, but you don’t even know where to start. Not only that, but you realize that you actually feel behind on every front, and yet you have to start this new week, regardless. Your home and children are counting on you to lead the way, in spite of how behind or overwhelmed you feel.

 

Maybe this scenario sounds and feels very familiar. I saw the quote above by Elisabeth Elliot the other day and fell in love with how beautifully the message was said. Regardless of what stage of life you are in, whatever job you have been given to do is a gift from the Lord. For me right now, my gift is homemaking, being a friend, writing, making music, and serving the Lord in my local church. Each of these sweet tasks has its own challenges and imperfections, to be sure, but they are all gifts, and “here, not somewhere else, I may learn God’s way,” as Elisabeth Elliot so poetically put it.

 

With these thoughts in mind, I began to reflect on how homeschooling can feel like such a responsibility, a chore, a daunting task. In many ways, it is all of those things. I know that something as significant as homeschooling day in and day out can get both exhausting and overwhelming, yet, in times such as these, I believe we need to focus on the gifts and opportunities we have been given with a new and fresh perspective.

 

1. A gift.

 

Your homeschool is a gift. It is not everywhere in the world that homeschooling is even legal. Having the option to homeschool your children is a precious gift that you have been given. If you are in this sweet season of life, then likely your husband has also trusted you with the responsibility of educating your children which is also a gift!

 

This job has been given to you. Does that mean it is easy? Definitely not. It is not easy by any means. But you must not fall into the trap of considering it anything other than a gift, and learn to be content with the gift you have been given.

 

“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” Philippians 4:11

 

Even if your children are struggling, and it feels like you are rowing upstream in your homeschooling, I encourage you to lean on the Lord and remember to look at the big picture. This challenge too will pass. Please do not get discouraged in the daily struggles. This journey is a gift, your homeschool is a gift, and the Lord does not expect you to live it on your own. He is with you and encourages you to seek Him on the good days and the challenging ones.

 

2. A privilege.

 

Not only is your homeschool a gift, but homeschooling children is also a privilege. There are many moms who would give anything to be able to stay home every day with their children, to get to experience all their milestones in person. Does it get tedious at times? Of course, it does, but that does not mean that it is not a privilege to be treasured.

 

You are in a position to choose the curriculum, the method, the daily rhythm, and even the perspectives that your children are learning every week. Not only are you not at the mercies of the public school systems, but you are also in control of the environment your kids are raised in day in and day out.

 

 

3. An offering.

 

We do not often consider this thought. What we do on a daily basis is something we can offer to the Lord as a gift of thanks for all He’s done and all He is. When we do the jobs He has given us to do with joy, reverence, and thanksgiving, God is honored.

 

Elisabeth Elliot said that “it is to be done gladly, if it is to be done for Him.” How often do we do the job He has given us with a bitter, selfish attitude? How often do we let our pride cause our hearts to be filled with an unholy spirit? Do we rob ourselves of the opportunity to give an offering to the Lord? Do we make His heart hurt when we treat the gift He has given us with irreverence and apathy?

 

4. An opportunity.

 

Lastly, I would like to take a look at the ending of the quote above: “Here, not somewhere else, I may learn God’s way. In this job, not in some other, God looks for faithfulness.” I know that you hear often how important it is to not compare your homeschooling journey to that of others. Your homeschool will look different from your friend’s or the family you see on Instagram. The job you have been given by the Lord is suited best for you, and it is through this specific job that you can “learn God’s way.” It is in this specific life, this personalized gift, that “God looks for faithfulness” in you, your actions, and your responses.

 

Do not waste this precious opportunity to bring God glory, to show yourself faithful. God is not looking for a straight A student. He is looking for individuals who will give themselves wholly to Him, do their best, and do it gladly. After all, our time here in this world is limited, as is your time as a homeschooling mom.

 

“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” Ecclesiastes 9:10

 

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;” Colossians 3:23

 

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Dear homeschooling momma, the Lord is so worthy of our efforts and our hearts. I pray that you will see the jobs He has given you in this light, that you will see your homeschool is a gift, and that you will be encouraged in this season that you are in. I know it can be difficult to not get caught up in the dirty, mundane tasks of daily life, but there are elements of that in each and every season of life. Yet, along with those dirty, mundane tasks, there is always beauty. There is beauty, growth, sweetness, and joy to be found in the season you find yourself in and the jobs you have been given.

 

Wherever you find yourself, whatever jobs you are responsible for today, remember that they are gifts, privileges, and offerings that we may present to Him with hearts full of love and humility, as we reflect on His infinite greatness and love.

 

Until next time