We just started school in August and it seems like it’s been a year already, es- pecially with all the whining, the school clutter, the cooking, the
extracurricular and church activities, the
discipline and training issues, the service
opportunities, the neighbors, the needy,
not to mention the people involved in all
of that. It’s no wonder we have been off
our school routine more than on. Why
does this always make me feel like such a
wreck? I am doing good things, but am I
doing too many good things, or the right
things? I have good plans and a nice routine for our homeschool, but we can’t seem
to stay on track.
Some days, the guilty thoughts, the pressure of things piling up, and the feeling of
always being behind can crush me. These
are the days that I wonder if there is any
hope for this homeschool. Are you with
me? Let’s talk about what hope is and why
we desperately need it as homeschoolers.
First, a story about hope. Let me tell you
about my third daughter. When I was pregnant with her, the doctors tried to convince
me to abort her. I was told that she most
likely had Trisomy 18 which meant that she
might only live a few days to a few weeks after
her birth, if she even made it to birth. They
showed me the signs and the deformities on
several ultrasounds (pocket of fluid on the
brain, rocker feet, clenched hands, etc.).
We were asked if we wanted to continue
this pregnancy, as there was probably no
hope of life for this child. They asked why
we would go through the process and the
pain of this hopeless situation. We said that
we believed God was the giver of life and
held the number of this child’s days in His
hand. We would absolutely continue the
pregnancy.
When I got home, I cried out to God and
I said this over and over, “I put my hope in
you, God!” And I meant it. We gave her the
name Hope. We were going to put our little
hope, and our little baby Hope, in God.
From deep within my soul and spirit, I
needed hope. And the only hope I had was
to put my Hope in God’s hands. Hope’s future, Hope’s purpose, Hope’s life, and if it
were to be, then Hope’s death, would also
be in His hands. We believed that He knew
best even when we couldn’t see the outcome. We daily put our Hope in God. In
due time, she was born by cesarean section
a cute, chunky cheeked, 9lb. 3oz. healthy
baby girl, who is now 12 years old. What if
we had given up hope?
Hope is a powerful thing. It makes you
hang on when everything else says let go.
Hope’s story has continued to teach me not
to abort hope, or fear the future, or give
up—God is not finished with our story.
How do we go through the process and
the pain of seemingly hopeless situations?
We walk in hope. We put our hope in God
who is in charge of the past, present, and
future. He is our hope. His Word gives us
hope. We have to search out, understand,
know, and meditate on His Word. Here is the
Is There Any Hope for
My Homeschool?
Some days, the guilty thoughts, the
pressure of things piling up, and the feeling
of always being behind can crush me.
Editorial
Deborah Wuehler,
Senior Editor
