Bringing School Home

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord... (Jeremiah 29:11)

There are times in this life that God unmistakably speaks to us.  We don't often hear His audible voice, though sometimes I believe we can.  Often we hear it through His Word. Sometimes it's a whisper, sometimes it's spoken through a friend.  But sometimes it's an obvious thing we can't deny, ignore, or push away any longer.  He simply will not let us!

That is where I am as I write to you tonight, my friends.  

Next year I am taking a HUGE leap of faith and I'm homeschooling my now 1st grader, Cody.  I actually can't believe I just typed that.  But yes.  It's true.  I am.  God has been preparing me for it for a long time.

I woke up this morning, the deadline for when I needed to let the public school know what our intentions were for next year, and my husband re-affirmed what I already knew (and have known for quite some time) in my heart.  He said, "Honey.  You already know what you're supposed to do.  You just need to do it."

Obedience is never easy.  Sometimes God calls us to do something and we don't know why.  We wrestle.  We toil.  We sometimes go kicking and screaming.  We feel completely inadequate, ill-equipped, and often ask the question, "God?  Are you sure?"  

But He responds gently.  "Yes.  I am sure.  Trust me."

Our family is embarking on a very new, very different adventure.  The emotions I feel about this are too numerous to list.  I watched Cody accept his kindergarten diploma at his school's graduation today, and I swallowed the lump in my throat when I took a photo of Cody with his wonderful teacher.  I fought the tears as I leafed through his huge portfolio of all the artwork they had done throughout the year.  I smiled proudly as I read yet another stellar report card touting his success this year.  And I began to doubt myself.  I wondered if I had heard God wrong.  

And again that voice.  The one that's been speaking to me over the past three years.  

"Trust me.  I know the plans I have for you."

Over the past couple of years, I have meditated a lot on Deuteronomy 6.  The Lord has continually brought me back again and again to these verses (and it came up a bunch at the homeschool conference we attended yesterday!)  This has become scripture that is near and dear to my heart, as it models so perfectly what I desire (and more importantly, what God desires!) for our family and for our home.  Not that I feel we've attained it perfectly of course, but it's such a beautiful picture.  I want to leave it with you before I sign off for the weekend.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."

~Deuteronomy 6:5-9