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Monday, August 17, 2009

My spirit is alive!

Do you ever get the feeling that your spirit becomes more alive, more excited after spending time with certain people? Tonight that is how my spirit feels thanks to the evening we were able to spend with some sweet friends (who actually have 5 children of their own and understand our life just a bit better than most others!!).

First of all, I think I finally have words to express the great desire to homeschool. I homeschooled Pepe last year and I will continue with both boys this year. I don't have to register them for homeschooling until they are 7 so, in the mean time, I have been trying to come up with a philosophy of education. Why do I want to homeschool? Until now, I knew that I didn't like the idea of the kids being away for 8 hours a day under someone else's instruction, influence, control! I thought they were gifts given to me, not the school teacher, no matter how good those teachers are (and in our school division we have some great educators, some of whom are my friends). Some people scoff at the idea of educating my own children - after all, think of all the free time I will have with them gone! Think of how much cleaning, shopping, crafting I can do with no little people to "drag around"! I could read a book, take a bath or a nap, paint my toes, go to the bathroom, all without interruption! But, guess what? I like those little people! And they were given to ME as gifts from the Lord. He says, "Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them." (Psalm 127:3-5) My children are not a barrier to my happiness, my children are not an inconvenience that I must put up with until I can finally send them away to school so I can do my own thing. My children are a heritage, a blessing, a gift. I need to cherish that gift. To embrace that gift. And for me, that means to teach that gift! Deuteronomy 11:19 is talking about the Lord and his commands when he writes, "Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." It says right there I am supposed to teach my children! I need to teach them far more than reading, writing and arithmatic - I need to teach them all about the Lord and all that He has done and all that He is continuing to do. And, guess what? You can teach them to read and learn about the Lord at the same time!! So, I put away my own agenda for a little while. Aren't they worth it? Eventually they will grow up and leave home and I will have all the time in the world to craft, nap or shop. But won't it be that much more rewarding to have that 18 or 20 year-old that is bright, educated and loves the Lord with a passionate faith because their mom took a few years out of her life to teach and embrace those precious gifts He entrusted to her?

Secondly, I was informed, though the concept shouldn't be a new one, that children don't get a baby-sized Holy Spirit - they can have the full power of the Holy Spirit at the age of 3! Do you understand what I am saying? My 3 year-old RJ can have the same power Christ had when he walked the earth because that same power can indwell her through the Holy Spirit!! Isn't that just amazing!!! You don't have to wait until the age of maturity for the Holy Spirit to indwell you. I guess I should have known that but I have never thought about it like that before. Makes perfect sense to me. And, it certainly makes me look at and pray with my children in a completely different light. Can you imagine the things they could do? The children they could be? The children they already are?

Thirdly, God really cares about us, about all the little details of our lives! Tonight Jay picked up Ali and somehow hurt her arm so that she wouldn't use her wrist - she just kept holding it and crying and crying. We tried to get her to move it - she wouldn't. I was already envisioning a trip to the ER - a long night in the waiting room, a 2 year-old crying in pain the whole 45 minute trip - it was not going to be a good ending to a great evening. Her wrist even looked funny. Then all of a sudden she started using it. Just like that. No pain. No more tears. I said, "Okay, who was praying?" The man of the house said he was! And God choose to heal her! Maybe to teach us all that God really does hear our prayers, that God cares about the little things and that God certainly cares about the little ones! After all, Jesus did say, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." (Mark 10:19)

My spirit is alive! Thank you, Lord!

4 comments:

  1. I agree that homeschooling is sometimes the best option for a family. However, I have to point out that if you choose to send your kids to school it doesn't mean that you won't end up with the 18 or 20 year old that is bright, educated and loves the Lord. The salvation of our children is in the hands of the Lord if we send them to school or not. I am choosing to send Rhys to school because since we left Niverville we've had a difficult time connecting him with other kids his age. He has one friend outside of his relatives and he needs more! In talking to our pastors wife about homeschooling (she is a teacher) I've changed my mind about it (not that I think it's bad at all). She said that she had been encouraged by the children that come into her classroom from christian homes and the light that they are to the other kids. I live in Elmwood, a neighbourhood with gangs and tough kids and if I agree (and I do) with the idea that the holy spirit is in Rhys, then think of the difference he can make in some of these kids lives.
    Just my thoughts.

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  2. Bria, I totally agree that you can have an 18 or 20 year old that is bright, educated and loves the Lord regardless of where they were schooled. I also agree that our children can be a light to those around them. I hope that as you send Rhys to school that he can be a light, make new friends and get the education he deserves. I also hope that school does not consume so much of this time that you are left with precious few moments to spend with him! God's blessings on your decision. I know it is not an easy one!

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  3. I love those connecting conversations! So refreshing. And amazing that Ali's arm is A-OK! I love those Spirit-led moments! The other day, we headed of to the Assinaboine Park (in the rain AGAIN!) to watch the DoodleBops because we know that Little M would be thrilled (my taste in concerts has changed a bit over the years, I guess :P). On our way out of town, Jon suggests that we pray for the rain to stop. Little M says from the car seat - "Daddy, sometimes God stops the rain and sometimes he just lets the rain drops fall." Ah, spiritual lessons from little ones. Anyway, God chose to stop the rain JUST in time for the BIG CONCERT (all of 20 minutes, which M decided she did not enjoy much anyway because it was TOO LOUD!).

    And kudos to you for following your heart and home-schooling. Just one of the tricky parenting decisions to sort through :P. Jon & I have talked about it too, and lean towards the public route :). Case in point - we were driving along the interstate and I shouted out to Little M - look at all those horses (she loves to see the animals). A few seconds later, I recognized that they were NOT horses, but actually COWS, but hoped my little faux pas would go unnoticed. No luck. Jon started snickering, so I thought it would be wisest to just go ahead and mock myself before he did - "aren't you glad I'm not in charge of the child's education, dear?" :P

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  4. Oh, you always make me laugh! Reminds me of that city slicker newscaster in the states that didn't know how to pronounce Black Angus - check out the video (http://www.metacafe.com/watch/506103/this_newscaster_not_from_texas/)!
    And you are so right about the parenting decisions - I did not realize there would be so many major ones to make! And, there are even more to make if you are a bit of a rebel like me and choose to go against the grain! God's blessings on whichever choices you make!

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