The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

I want to be a mother and teacher of peace,
doing only what my Father tells me to do . . . .

Then, keep your eyes and ears open and look earnestly for your provision and answer to prayer. He often provides in miraculous ways. Pray for wisdom and guidance and the ability to stay within your financial means, and you will experience success.

•;Homeschool;co-ops;can;be;a;wonder-
ful answer to prayer for some people,
or they can be a temptation to indulge
in more busyness. Here are some pros
and cons to consider:
Pros:
•;Your;children;may;learn;about;sub-
jects that you may not have the ability
to teach.

Cons:
•;If;you;have;only;young;children,;get-
ting there is more difficult.

The Spouse You and your spouse need to be in agreement about every activity you choose to undertake. Consider these questions: •;Is;your;spouse;on;board;with;it?

•;Are;his;needs;being;met;first?

•;Will;the;home;environment;remain;a place of peace for him if you become involved in the activity?

• Have you prayed with your spouse about it?

•;Does;your;spouse;have;any;reserva-tions?

•;Will;your;spouse;have;to;be;involved? Does he have the time and energy to add another thing?

Whatever you choose to do, make sure your spouse is in full agreement, as many activities take up precious and often limited family time.

The Lord

We simply cannot underestimate the
power of prayer and asking for wisdom for
our children. Our highest goal is that they
will learn to be heaven-smart and not just
earth-smart. Some questions to consider:
•;What;good;is;it;if;they;gain;the;whole
world but lose their soul?

As I considered how Jesus handled ev-
erything on his daily “plate,” I wondered
if Jesus was rushed and off and run-
ning all the time. There were definitely
times of a lot happening all at once. He
had twelve disciples to love and train
and feed, crowds of people to teach and
heal, and critics to rebuff and enemies
to avoid, as well as places to travel—and
sometimes all in one day. He often had to
handle criticism and oppression, requir-
ing Him to leave or hide. The amount of
things pressing on Him at one time was
incredible. He most certainly had more
to do than I could ever deal with on any
given day. However, as I looked into His
life further, I saw many things we would
do well to consider:
•;He;had;incredible;peace—knowing;He
did only what His Father told Him to do.

•;His;love;and;patience;flowed;out;to;His disciples.

•;He;took;every;opportunity;to;speak into the disciples’ lives.

•;He;went;away;daily;to;spend;time;with His Father.

•;He;displayed;the;character;of;God;in His dealings with people.

I was immediately convicted. I want to be a mother and teacher of peace, doing only what my Father tells me to do, to be able to minister to crowds of people or one person in need whenever that need arises—and to not feel condemned because of the pull away from my own schedule. On a daily basis, I want to feel the revival that is so necessary as I carve out a time and place to get alone with my Father; I want to have an answer for every man who asks me the hope which lies within—even and especially if that man is my own son.

I know that in order to be like Christ, I must choose what He chose. I must run like Him. I must run to my Father like He did. I must run to do my Father’s bidding like He did. And then I will have peace like He had. Oh, to be like Jesus—there will my weary feet find rest, and there will I find the rejuvenation to run on to the finish of this homeschooling journey.

Let us pray every day that God would give us hearts of wisdom as we number our days. We don’t want to forget our first priorities of God and family, and we don’t want to be running around so much that our children don’t know what it means to be home where they belong.

“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90: 12).

Deborah Wuehler is the Senior Editor for TOS, participating author in The Homeschool Minute, wife to Richard, and mom to eight gifts from heaven. She loves digging for buried treasure in the Word, reading, writing, homeschooling, and dark chocolate! You may contact her at senioreditor @ TheHomeschoolMagazine.com.