TheImpact
of a Child
We set our feet firm and establish goals and pri- orities todo all we can to train up Godly children.
We want them to have a positive impact
on the world around them. All the while,
we must remember that all children are
different and that God has a unique plan
for each of them. My family was one of
the many homeschool families who faced
the added challenge of homeschooling a
handicapped child. As I set goals for my
normal kids, evaluated priorities, and
questioned the most important things to
teach them, these questions were mag-
nified for Justin. Education developed a
whole new meaning. Our goals for Jus-
tin were smaller, our steps in life slower,
and the burden for the rest of our family
sometimes seemed a little greater. Little
things others took for granted became
major accomplishments.
Those things that I
may think will have a
powerful impact on
the world may be mere
droplets in the sea of
God’s eternal providence,
while one small act of
kindness may produce a
profound ripple.
spiritual journey I never would have taken otherwise. Caring for him taught me
profound truths about the very nature
of God. I learned about unconditional
love, I learned that God is gracious and
merciful even when we may not see or
feel His grace and mercy, and I learned
that faith is trusting in God’s sovereignty.
God used Justin to show me that each
person leaves an imprint on the lives
around him, whether he is blessed with
profound speech and knowledge or not,
and that we may never know all of those
with whom our lives connect and leave a
lasting impression.
As I think about the influence I hope
my children have on the people whose
lives they may some day impact for the
Kingdom of God, I tend to think of all
the powerful things they might say or do.
I am confident that God has a plan and a
purpose for their lives and that He will use
them to glorify Him, but I forget that it is
not for me to determine their purpose or
to control God’s hand in their lives. Those
things that I may think will have a pow-
erful impact on the world may be mere
droplets in the sea of God’s eternal provi-
dence, while one small act of kindness may
produce a profound ripple. It is not for us
to know or completely understand God’s
plan. Our job as parents is to prayerfully
provide guidance and seek God’s help and
wisdom to teach our children to glorify
God wherever He chooses to use them. We
must remind our children and ourselves
that God often uses the simple things of
this world to confound the wise, and He
uses those whom we may judge as least ca-
pable of spreading the Gospel to eternally
impact the Kingdom.
Sheila Campbell began homeschooling in
1991, and after the death of her husband
in 2001, she homeschooled as a single parent. She also was the parent of a special
needs child whom she cared for at home
until his death in 2004. These difficulties
have strengthened her walk with her Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ, and it is her prayer
that her words will encourage and inspire
others. Sheila invites you to visit her blog at
pausingtopraise.wordpress.com.
40;May;2012;•;His;Joyful;Homeschooler
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