Compared to What?

"You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." -Exodus 20:17

My youngest son's discouraged face told me there was more to his frustration than receiving a C on his spelling test. I saw there was deep emotion waiting to be expressed. I offered a listening ear and a patient hug and he began to share, "I'm not as smart as everyone else in this family." He "knew" he wasn't as good as his siblings, and he wanted to be an A student too. His broken heart reflected my own childhood experience with insensitive teachers comparing my performance in school to high-achieving, older siblings. 

Comparing your children to one another can be dangerous: "When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise" (2 Corinthians 10:12). God has uniquely gifted each of your homeschooled children, and He values each one. Encourage them to find their place in the family and then in the world. A sense of self-worth is developed as your children find areas in which God created them to excel. My son' niches were finally found in math, music and fishing. Hands down, neither his brother nor his sisters could match him in those areas. 

How many times a day do you compare yourself to others? Do you wish you looked like someone else, had her home or money or were as smart as she is? God knew envy was a problem for all human kind when he gave His commandment, "You shall not covet. . ." (Exodus 20:17). Compared to Christ, we all fall short of the glory of God.Let him lead you into hHs perfect will for your life and find the joyful niche He has created just for you. There is no better place to be for now and eternity!

-Taken from Homeschool Mom's Bible; devotions by Janet Tatman; p. 1171

Teacher or Mom

"And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." 

-Philippians 4:19

As much as I enjoyed homeschooling my children, some days I longed to be only a mother. Moms have the fun job of displaying tenderness by kissing away hurts and telling their children they are wonderful. But God had an additional task for me. He also wanted me to be my children's schoolteacher. I had to take out the red pen and correct their papers to challenge them to study harder. Finding loving ways to critique their work and push them was not always easy. My children were required to respect and relate to me both as mother and teacher.

I feared this dual role would create an emotional distance between us. As the homeschooling years went on, I realized those fears were unfounded. The relationship I had with my children as their mother gave me opportunities to minister to their personal issues and concerns. The relationship I had as their teacher led to moments for counseling college and career choices, editing job resumes and more. I became the resource my children went to first when they needed help, and we grew even closer.

God's multiple roles in our Christian walk amaze me too. He is our loving Abba Father, Savior, Best Friend and Holy God. He demands our fear, devotion, love and respect - all the while teaching us how to grow closer to Him. He is the first person we should run to for our needs. He is both a gentle Shepard and a jealous God who loves us with passionate, unconditional love. Praise Him today for being your heavenly Father and all you need!

-Taken from Homeschool Mom's Bible; devotions by Janet Tatman; p. 1141

In the Distance

"There is a time for everything." -Ecclesiastes 3:11

As a homeschooling parent our lives can seem stuck in forever. We may think our children will never move beyond a certain point in their education or that we will never do anything different. Each day can feel like a repeat of the last with homeschooling, laundry, cooking and church responsibilities. Is there ever an end to the seemingly endless repetition?

As the author loaded her kids in the car, God spoke to her heart. Looking in the side mirrors for traffic, she noticed the words "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear!" God showed her that the end to this period in her life was closer than it appeared.

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As time went on she discovered that life is a series of transitions - chapters are opened, read and then
closed for the next to begin. What chapter of your life are you in as a homeschooling parent - babies, toddlers, teenagers, empty nest? Things will not always remain the same. Enjoy the moment you are in now to the fullest. God is with you and knows exactly what you should be doing. "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens" (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

-Taken from Homeschool Mom's Bible; devotions by Janet Tatman; p. 1138

For the Love of the Game

I never thought much about sports and how they could benefit kids until our girl started playing volleyball regularly. As she grew in her volleyball skills and enjoyment of playing, we began to develop some expectations for her as well as advice about being on a team. They are as follows:

*You need to be coachable. You cannot show up to practice or games thinking you know it all. Be willing to listen to your coaches as well as the more experienced players on the team.

*Don't compete with members of your own team. Your job is to work together to compete with the players on the opposing team.

*There is always going to be someone who plays better than you and it might just be someone on your own team. Don't make your focus being better than that person. Comparison will either lead you to be prideful or it will cause you to feel like a failure. Instead, focus on playing your best and growing in your skills.

*If you're playing sports to be recognized, to be somebody, then you're playing for the wrong reason. As Christians, all we do is to be done for the glory of the Lord. Play for the love of the game.

*Be a team encourager whether your team is winning or losing. Grumbling and complaining doesn't help the team.

*If you have a problem with someone on the team, whether it be another player or the coach, follow the principles outlined in Matthew 28 and follow the chain of command presented by the organization.

*You are there to win, and winning is more fun; but don't allow losing to dampen your enjoyment of playing the game.

So far, our girl seems to have embraced these principles. She plays volleyball because she enjoys it. She challenges herself to improve. She listens to the advice of her coaches and the older players. She doesn't take comments on the court personally because she knows in the heat of the game things are said. She is a great encourager on and off the court. Her goal isn't to be the best on the team, just her best. We love watching her play volleyball and look forward to watching her continue to grow.