The Beginning of the End

Today is the 1^st day of the our last year of home-schooling. My son has been home-schooled since kindergarten. Today, he starts his senior year.

Once upon a time, when my husband and I first heard of home-schooling, we shrugged it off as an aberrant phenomenon. So, when we started home-schooling our son, we were as uneasy about this new venture as the rest of our family and friends.

Every year, I get nervous on the first day of school. I feel unsure about the curriculum, the schedule, the paper work, and my ability to toggle between the roles of teacher/mom. And every year, I remind myself of the advice that a veteran home-schooling mom gave me 12 years ago: “When your back is against the wall, call out to Jesus.” And I have followed this advice.

When the Israelites were stuck between the Red Sea and their Egyptian enemies, Moses said to them:
“Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm… Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land. So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side! (Exodus 14:13-14, 21-22 NLT)

When I feel inadequate, scared, frustrated, panicky, exhausted, or brain-dead, I call out to the Lord. I can identify with Moses. Convincing an apathetic, recalcitrant, hormonal teenager to tackle difficult subjects is no easy task. Yet, the Lord has helped us navigate the Red Sea of chemistry, Kierkegaard, pre-Calculus and statistics.

I have learned a lot of things in the last 12 years of home-schooling my son. I’ve learned to depend on the Lord, to stay calm, and to look to Him expectantly. I’ve learned not to focus on the challenges, but on God’s power.