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