Editorial
Deborah Wuehler,
Senior Editor
Starting the new school year is a lot like New Year’s Day each January. We have dreams and hope and vi- sion for our year ahead and are
full of optimism and firm resolutions.
When;we;begin;each;new;school;year,;we
also;have;new;ideas,;new;curriculum;and
fun;products,;as;well;as;fresh;inspiration
to get us going in a positive direction. We
probably all have new school year resolutions something like these:
I will have a plan, and stick to the plan
I will be better organized
I will be completely and properly prepared
I will start and finish each subject
I will keep better records
I will keep a cleaner house
I will go on more field trips
I will teach more home and life skills
I will add P.E. (and join a gym myself)
I will prepare healthier meals
I will better control my outside obligations
I will be positive and fun1
Oh;boy,;I;am;tired;already.;I;think;I;will
just get a cup of coffee and get on social
media.
Although these resolutions can be im-
portant;and;necessary,;and;some;may;be
brand;new;to;our;thinking,;we;are;often
dealing with our same old personality
issues,;our;same;old;character;flaws,;the
same old husband and the same old chil-
dren. So let’s get real and say that some-
times,;our;only;resolution;is:;I will not
let what happened last year, happen again
this year . . . oh, wait . . . how will I do
that?;And,;instead;of;working;through
that;question,;we;distract;ourselves;with
the same old bad habits of procrastina-
tion and end up frustrated at our failure.
Even if we have a few successful weeks or
months,;we;get;into;the;same;old;cycle;of
despair. Let’s jump out of that cycle.
To do that, let’s unburden ourselves
from a ton of new school year resolu-tions,;and;let’s;get;down;to;the;most;im-portant and basic things that will make it
all run more smoothly as we gain victory
over our old habits.
Here are five simple “I Will’s” that will
get to the root of all the problems we face
and set us on the path to victory.
1 – I Will Love God
We all love to quote the Scripture in Deuteronomy 6 about teaching our children
as;we;walk;along;the;way,;as;we;sit;in;our
homes,;as;we;lie;down;and;as;we;rise;up.
We;make;it;a;motto;for;homeschooling,
and rightly so. But do you know what we
are supposed to be teaching our children
all day long? I’ll give you a hint: it’s not
math and science. Look at the previous
verses leading up to it:
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our
God is one LORD: And thou shalt
love the LORD thy God with all
thine heart, and with all thy soul,
and with all thy might. And these
words, which I command thee this
day, shall be in thine heart: And
thou shalt teach them diligently
unto thy children . . . (Deut. 6: 4-7)
The things God wants us to teach and
impress upon our children are far different than our normal mindset of curriculum first. Love for God is what He desires
to be taught first. Love also comes in the
form of obedience to His commands. Je-
sus;said;in;John;14: 15;that;if;we;love;Him,
we will obey Him. What has He asked
you to do with your children?
What God desires us to teach our children about Him is that He is One—He
stands alone; there is no other. And that we
are to love Him with everything in our power and person and possession. The parental
part of loving God with all of our heart
and soul and strength is being obedient
New School Year Resolutions:
5“I Will’s”
Here are five simple “I Will’s” that will get to the root of all the problems we face
and set us on the path to victory.
