Another academic year is upon us, and while our family schools year round, there is just something invigorating about this time of year. I’m given new energy to reexamine our homeschool: what’s working, what’s not working, what to add, and what to take away.
I make to-do lists, browse MODG lesson plans, create new lunch rotations, and revamp old cleaning schedules and routines; but I neglect preparing my heart to fully embrace my vocation as the director of our homeschooling enterprise.
With the birth of our fourth child in the middle of July and the ensuing upheaval to routine, I’ve been reminded of how much I am in need of God’s never-failing Grace to help me run the course He has set for our family.
I see the course I’ve set and I wonder how I can accomplish those well laid plans. I hear the baby wake from his nap while I prepare lunch and I wonder how all those meals will ever get on the table. I stumble across a cluttered toy room floor and wonder when the children will ever pick up without being asked, even if it is just for 20 minutes! I worry and wonder. Wonder and worry.
But God is faithful.
“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you.” I find when I seek God above my own agenda, then, and only then, am I enough. I have just enough love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self control to be the woman God calls me to be. Just enough, no more.
If I were ever to have more than enough, would I lean so hard on God?
So, make those plans and dream big for your homeschool year, but don’t forget preparing your heart for homeschooling. Never forget your reliance on God. Don’t just make time for Him during your day, but make your day all about Him.
This is all fine and dandy you say, but it is nothing more than talk. How do we bring this down to earth, how do we make it about the dailiness of life?
Practical Tips for Preparing Your Heart for Homeschooling:
Keep a Kingdom view of your homeschooling.
Equipping your child for eternity should be your main goal. Academics are important but are a far second to God’s desire for your child’s soul.
Seek God first in your day.
While I love an early morning devotion, it hasn’t been practical for me in all seasons of life. Even if the day starts off kilter and I don’t get through my routine, I can still find pockets of time in my day to chose God first by sitting down with Him instead of accomplishing something on my to-do list. Eucharistic adoration, Reconciliation, and Mass are powerful ways to pursue God first.
Develop a family or homeschooling mission statement.
I’d been looking for a mission statement for our homeschool for some time, when God nudged my heart with a verse during my morning prayer time. “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11) This verse helps me focus on our long term goals in the midst of the day-to-day. Someday, I’ll get it hung up where I can be constantly reminded of this promise!
Remember where you are in this moment is where God wants you to be.
The good, the bad, and the ugly all work to draw us closer to perfection in God. The math assignment that is testing your patience is precisely the tool God is using to grow you in this virtue. That jealousy felt when you begin comparing your life with others is meant to challenge and strengthen your contentment and thankfulness. What are you struggling with? What is God trying to teach you through those struggles?
Read something uplifting.
Scripture is my daily vitamin of choice and should be for every Christian (Protestant and Catholic alike!). But I also find encouragement through other books about motherhood, homeschooling, faith, and home. Having a good book going has been a great help to me in my mothering journey. Two books that bring great peace to my mama heart are the following (I reread them both every summer!):
- Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit by Teri Maxwell
- Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler’s Guide to Unshakable Peace by Sarah MacKenzie
(Note: Book links are affiliate links)
Create workable systems.
Anxiety can arise in my heart when I feel unable to accomplish the daily maintenance tasks. Taking time to plan/schedule these tasks can go a long way in bringing peace to my soul. Here are some of the things I do to bring order out of chaos:
- Developing Discipline with Routines
- 5 Steps to a Cleaning Schedule that Works for You
- Simple Lunch Ideas and Rotation
- Biweekly Grocery Shopping
- 20 minutes to a Clean {enough} Home
Get support.
None of us are a one man show. I have greatly benefited from a small community we have cultivated with other Catholic homeschooling families. It is wonderful to walk this unique path with these like-minded families! ( You might like my post detailing how we got our Catholic homeschool co-op group started.)
Above all, remember God is with you on this walk. Your real life is this very moment, not some far off fantasy life of someday. This is the life where He is transforming you and growing you in Holiness. Keep Him ever at your side!
What are your favorite ways to calm your anxious homeschooling spirit?
