Posts

The End of a Season Means the Beginning of Another

Six years ago I wrote a post titled The Tension Between the Beginning of the End and the Beginning of the Beginning. At that point we were saying goodbye to six years of private full time classical school to embark on a homeschool journey. We didn’t know if the journey would last one year or six more. Turns out, we homeschooled through graduation with our oldest. Our middle son will graduate in two short years from our homeschool.

We are again at the beginning of an end and the beginning of a beginning.

I believe it’s fairly typical to look back on an experience and realize the worry and fretting were useless. That is my experience at least. I have falsely led myself to believe that enough worry on the front end can lead me to preventing failure and regret. It’s a lie.

What worry really does is steal the joy of the journey. It clouds our vision from seeing the magnitude of an awesome God at work in the details of our days. It significantly limits my ability to trust God by turning my trust toward myself and my worry. It takes my mustard seed of faith and crushes it to nothing.

My one regret through homeschooling….allowing worry and fear to have any voice. I wish I’d rested more. I wish I’d trusted God more. But! I’m thankful for the opportunity to choose differently today.

Jacob finished his last day of high school in February. Between February and May, when we’ve celebrated his graduation officially, I’ve had quite some time to reflect. Initially, I played the what-if game. What if we’d chosen a different path? Did we choose the right path?

In the Lord’s patience with me, He allows me to wander about my thoughts, wrestling them down until I come to a clear place of understanding. I thought back to a podcast I heard on Focus on the Family years ago where a pastor talked about how we can know which path to take. He said often we pray and ask God for His will regarding which job to take, which house to buy, which school to choose, etc. But often our choices are equally in line with God’s will, so He gives us the choice and what He cares most about is who we become in Him as we walk that path. Hearing that opened up my understanding to the goodness of God and the beauty of this life. It also allowed me to feel free.

Our life path is filled with opportunity. Most importantly, we are to simply abide. As we abide, He will grow us wherever we are.

When Jacob was in sixth grade, he encountered some unexplained health issues. The doctors had no real answers, but felt reducing as much stress as possible would be crucial in his body healing. Interestingly, that is one of the very things God used to confirm our homeschool path. I sought a friend’s advice as we prayed through our next steps. I remember saying to her how life is filled with extreme stress and removing it may not be the best for our kids. Her response I’ll never forget. “Yes, but limiting it in middle school may be what God uses to prepare him for what he will carry in his future.” In other words removing school anxiety isn’t setting them up for life failure.

On this side of the path, I’m speechless at all God has done. Jacob is an incredible human being. I’m highly biased and feel incredibly blessed by all three of our children. Jacob is so highly motivated and driven. He is wise. He is discerning.

After Jacob’s graduation party, God took me back through the years and all I could do was cry. I’m so incredibly grateful we homeschooled. I’m so thankful I didn’t let fear push me down an alternate path (and it nearly did every single year).

So here we are. Jacob is working full time gaining incredible experience in the business world. He has plans in the future with real estate investing and financial trading.

I posted this on Instagram the day before his graduation party:

“Last week God gave me a verse for Jacob. Today, the eve of the day we celebrate his graduation, I’m sitting on the sofa and My Utmost for His Highest is centered around the very verse God showed me for Jacob last week.

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

This is my prayer for Jacob who is already walking in his future having jumped into the full time workforce in February. He is so highly motivated, so driven, such incredible grit and work ethic.

Of all things to pursue in this life, pursue God with everything you have. Seek His Kingdom. It’s the ONLY thing that matters. The true picture of success is the one who is so firmly rooted in who God says they are that they can abide in Him, seek Him, and watch the Kingdom grow.

The world tells graduates to go do great things and change the world and chase your dreams and live your best life. God says, Seek Him. Everything else will take care of itself.”

Are you facing the end of a current season? Sometimes the end of a season sneaks up on us, but what I hope to remember is that a new season is ready to dawn. God is doing a new thing. Do you see it? Do you believe it?

When God delivered rebellious Israel, He said to them in Isaiah 43:19 “Look, I am about to do something new, even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.”

God is a Creator, He is in the business of doing something new. As we journey through our seasons, we can trust that God is at work, always ready to do something new. Lord, give us eyes to see you!


Do you have a graduate in your life? Send them into the world with what they really need. God’s Word.

 

 

Entertain Your Kids For Hours – And Feel Good About It

feedtheirminds

About 5 years ago, Jacob received what I consider one of the best Christmas gifts he’s ever received. The radio theater presentation of The Chronicles of Narnia.

My boys have always loved the Narnia series. When they were young, we read the picture book versions. They also have the boxed set they’ve read countless times.

From the time they were about 1, 4, and 6, our boys have listened to hours upon hours of this radio theater collection. It’s never gotten old. It’s been on long car rides (22 hours of drama). It’s provided hours of entertainment during the long hot days of summer. It’s warmed hearts on snowy days. It’s listened to at night as they wind down for bed. It’s played when they clean their rooms. It’s taken the place video games would like to hold.

My boys go through phases with everything. Everything except Narnia. This is no ordinary audiobook. It’s not a reading of the books. It’s an actual drama presentation. As you listen, you are swept away into the land only the mind of C.S. Lewis could create.

This set is targeted for ages 8-12, but in my opinion, it crosses all ages. Adults and children of all ages will be entertained, enlightened, and inspired through this collection.

When Jacob received this set for Christmas, we had no idea how well-loved it would be in our home.

The other night as Zachary wound down for bed, he said, “Mom, I don’t know why, but when I listen to these CD’s, they just seem to calm me. I feel so relaxed and at peace.” Over the weeks, he has begun to share the connections he is making to his spiritual life and what he is listening to.

What we feed our mind, we feed our soul. What a privilege to intentionally invest in feeding the hearts, souls, and minds of our children. 

If you are looking to stock up for the summer on intentional tools to pass the time while investing in the hearts and minds of your children, I highly recommend this set. It would be a great “Happy Summer and great job this school year!” gift. I also think it’s a great gift to give the recent grad who will be heading off to college, possibly spending hours in the car. If you are taking a cross country trip, this will absolutely captivate your kids, and you will hear far fewer ‘are we there yet’s?’

514sv2zxYUL

***As we head into summer, I’ll be sharing more of our very favorites. Some of the links I provide are affiliate links. Through affiliate links, I’m able to cover a small portion of the costs associated with running a website. I only recommend products I absolutely love, and I do appreciate you shopping with these links. ***

[box] If you enjoyed today’s post, consider subscribing here to receive posts via email. Blog subscribers are entered in a quarterly drawing to win a $20 Stitch Fix gift card and will also receive a free Christmas ornament download that accompanies Seeking Christmas – Finding the True Meaning Through Family Traditions.[/box]