Life;is;like;that,;isn’t;it?;It’s;terrifying;at
times;and;exhilarating;other;times.
Watching;those;trees;reminded;me;of
some;of;my;favorite;passages;in;the;Bible.
God’s;Word;has;a;lot;to;say;about;trees.;I
think;it’s;because;our;Creator;knows;His
creation.;We;really;are;like;trees;in;many
ways.
In Psalm 1: 3, we read that the man
who;trusts;the;Lord;is;like;a;“tree planted
by streams of water” (NIV). Surely;a;tree
planted;by;streams;of;water;would;have
a;well-nourished;root;system.;I;thought
of;the;torrential;rains;falling;outside;my
window.;They;reminded;me;of;the;many
storms;I;have;weathered;in;my;life.
Sometimes, the rain only lasts for a
day.;Other;times,;it;rains;for;months.;At
one;point;in;our;marriage,;the;rain;just
fell;for;a;year,;storm;after;storm.;We;re-minded ourselves of the promises of
Psalm;1;and;Jeremiah;17: 7;“Blessed is the
man who trusts in the Lord” (ESV).
Bend;;don’t;break.
Homeschooling;has;seasons;too.;Have
you;noticed;them;yet?;There;are;seasons
where;the;sun;shines;bright;and;seasons
when;the;rain;just;falls;for;days;on;end.
As;a;homeschool;mom,;my;need;to;be
rooted;in;Christ;is;as;strong;as;my;roots
are deep. On the days when the rain
won’t;stop;falling,;I;cling;to;the;promises
of;the;Bible.
I;remind;myself;that;this;homeschool-ing;journey;is;as;much;about;me;as;it;is
about;our;children.;We;are;growing;and
learning;about;how;to;bend;with;each
other and about how to live out love
rather;than;just;hear;about;it.
I;make;a;new;start.;We;try;again.;But
the kids fight. They don’t finish their
school;work.;The;laundry;piles;up.;The
bills;keep;coming.;I;feel;overwhelmed.;I
know;I;shouldn’t,;but;I;want;to;give;up.
I’m;tempted;to;question;God’s;goodness
and;doubt;His;grace.
“Bend;;don’t;break,”;I;can;hear;the;Lord
whispering;to;me.;“You;can;do;all;things
through My Son.” God’s love for me
compels;me;to;follow;Him.;His;kindness
brings;me;to;repentance.
Bend. Don’t break. Try again. Keep
moving.;Keep;growing.
Truthfully,;storms;are;not;all;bad,;are
they?;Rain;can;be;a;friend;or;a;foe.;Rain
cleans;the;air;and;waters;the;garden,;but
it can also devastate through flooding
and;water;damage.;Anything;left;unpro-
tected;in;the;rain;for;too;long;is;at;risk;of
being;ruined.
Don’t;go;unprotected;from;the;storms
of this life, precious Mom. Your hope
lies;in;the;One;who;made;you.;Go;to;His
Word,;and;rest;in;His;promises.;His;mer-
cies;are;new;every;morning.;He;makes;all
things;new.
Bend;;don’t;break.
At;the;end;of;the;homeschooling;years,
we;will;leave;our;children;with;an;im-
pression;of;their;heavenly;Father.;We;will
demonstrate;that;we;trust;Him;by;our
constant;surrendering;to;His;will.;When
we;weather;storms;with;a;humble;heart,
www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com
churches C families C homeschool co-ops C small groups
PERFECT FOR:
The Firmly Planted Family
Series is divided into
ten-week studies and is
your key to making sense of
the Bible—even if you’re
learning right along with
your children. Each lesson
provides a core idea, a
simple narrative, memory
verses and discussion
questions for children of all
ages. The companion
student workbook is filled with age-appropriate,
full-color, reproducible activities for children of any age!
helping families flourish
firmly planted
www.firmlyplantedfamily.org
Surely;a;tree;planted;by;streams;of;water;would;have
a;well-nourished;root;system.
