It was this socialist
concept of fairness and
equal treatment for
everyone that hindered
my ability to completely
surrender to God’s
sovereignty.
;nished our ;rst year of homeschooling,
and with two more little boys, then aged
2 and 3, and another baby on the way, we
were looking forward to many more joyous years of storybooks, fun cra;s, and
nature walks scattered among our more
formal curriculum. God indeed did have
those joyous times in store for our future,
but he had many other lessons in store
for us as well. We would discover that in
order to bloom where we were planted—
to blossom into vessels that over;owed
with joy and peace—we would have to
discover beauty and gratitude in yielding
to God’s sovereignty and learn to grow
in His love, ever expanding our hearts as
we acknowledged His amazing grace and
recognized His love for us in the midst of
di;cult circumstances.
Justin never fully recovered from that
surgery. Complications from lack of
oxygen resulted in severe brain damage. Justin would never again ride his
bike; in fact, he would never again walk,
talk, or even perform such basic tasks as
feeding himself.
In the months and even years that followed, I struggled to comprehend why a
loving God would allow such a tragedy.
In those early years with a new baby, a
toddler, and a preschooler, I struggled
with a preconceived idea of “fairness.” It
was not fair that my son was no longer
normal and as a result, our household
was no longer “normal.” “Woe unto him
that striveth with his Maker! . . . Shall the
clay say to him that fashioneth it, What
makest thou?” (Isaiah 45: 9). Just as a pot
cannot protest about how it’s formed,
neither can a seed protest to the gardener
about the condition of the soil in which
it is planted. Complaint and discontent
only bring heartache and woe.
When Justin’s therapists began to sug-
gest we place him in the public school
system to provide us with some respite,
www.; eHomeschoolMagazine.com
I suddenly realized the depth of my con-
viction to continue to homeschool. Dur-
ing the years that followed, God began to
reveal to me the beliefs within my heart
and the source of those beliefs, particular-
ly my concept of fairness. He used home-
schooling and the people and ideas within
the homeschool movement and commu-
nity to drastically alter my worldview.
God began to reveal a
joy that is found only in
a heart that truly seeks
Him, and as I began to
surrender to God’s plan,
I began to see Justin’s
handicaps and his very
presence as a blessing.
Our family and our school may not
have given my children the same opportunities as their peers—even their home-schooled peers, but we rejoiced in those
di;erences and praise God for the unique
experiences and challenges He provided.
Justin le; this world on March 3, 2004.
Jacob, Jerrod, and Jennifer each completed their formal education and graduated from our homeschool. Today jobs
and other responsibilities now demand
much of our time and attention, but we
still enjoy time spent together laughing,
learning, and praising God. ;ough the
lessons may still be di;cult at times,
we have learned to bloom where we are
planted and to praise God for the time
and season in which we live—it is ever
changing, but God is never changing and
always faithful and worthy of praise.
Sheila Campbell began homeschooling in
1991, and a;er 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. ;ese di;culties
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.
