Above All Else

It so often does not feel like my little disciples are even listening to me, let alone growing in the wisdom I am trying to share. So when they say something or do something that repeats a previous lesson, it overwhelms my heart with such joy it leaks out of the corners of my eyes. 

My Joy Bugs

Just this past week my littlest disciple came down with a tummy bug that took him out for most of the day. But earlier in the day, while I was on an errand, he had played outside while his dad watched them. He told me a story about it when I asked, "Oh did you feel better this morning, and then it came on later?" I was more curious about how long he had felt ill, so I could gauge whether he was ready to start sipping water. But he replied, 

"no. my tummy was hurting in the morning, but I persevered." 

"Oh," I said, barely stifling the giggle as my mind shifted back three months. 

Perseverance was one of the Biblical characteristics we had studied in November, alongside the history of the Pilgrims and their first year after landing in America. And the other little disciple had also used the word perseverance the week before. So my heart, swollen with joy, I looked at him and smiled, saying, "good job, buddy."

But honestly, this moment could not have come at a better time...

My Little Disciples

This week I needed to catch up on some curriculum planning. I have felt behind since the holidays, just winging it month to month, trying to squeeze it in. So I used this sick day to catch up, feeling a bit stressed and down on myself.  

After our spring vacation, coming up way too quickly, we will start a science unit on the human body. I'd prayed about which character trait or Bible Study to pair with this unit for several weeks. I like things to go together so we can reinforce things at different times. I almost gave up when his little quote reminded me that my first homeschool goal was to help them develop great character by teaching God's Word. So I persevered in prayer (like what I did there?) and read through the lessons from Kids of Integrity when it all came together—Confidence by Kids of Integrity (see link below). We will learn about our bodies and how God created them so we can be confident of our value while learning not to compare or judge others' differences.

How much better does it get than learning about how "God knit me together in my mother's womb" while learning about the intricacies of how He made the human body? Wow, God! I am so looking forward to this unit. I could use the reminder to be confident in myself, not based on the world's measures, but because God designed me, and His works are wonderful. 

But more so, I am confident in my commitment for the 22/23 school year to focus on what is most important--their hearts--as I plan the next few months. Knowing what is most important is an area I have really grown in as a homeschool mom. When I first started, I focused first on academics. Even though I chose a Christian homeschool curriculum, our primary focus was reading, writing, and math. And while these are all important (and required by law in Colorado), the most important thing is always our hearts. The book of wisdom says: Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it" Proverbs 4:23. 

Above all else! 

So now we focus first on developing Christian character and our nightly Bible reading. We start each day with a character lesson or devotional. Then we follow the law, getting our core classes in and sprinkling their interests as our science. For example, both of my little disciples have engineering interests, so we are doing a cardboard engineering unit that I found online sometime this spring. By doing this, we have seen first-hand another above-all-else statement come to fruition in our lives: "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." Matthew 6:33 

Yep. We have everything we need. 

You may need the reminder like I did this week--they are listening, watching, and soaking it in even when it doesn't feel like it in the day-to-day. And God has laid out the way that is best and will work--"seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." Matthew 6:33

Let's Pray: 

Father, king of the universe, you know what we need most: you. Help us to seek you first. Help us to make our primary focus you, your way, your Word, your answers, and to know that as we do, you will give us everything else we truly need. You are the good Father who knows what we need and the generous Father who gives it. Thank you for the greatest gift we've already been given--your Son, Jesus, and our eternal life with you. In Jesus's name, Amen