Don't Worry-Trust in Him

Since God made us, I'm going to assume He knew in advance what worrisome people we would be. I think as homeschooling moms, we worry even more because we feel the pressure of our children's success or failure on our shoulders. We do carry a heavier load than most women, as we usually spend close to 24/7 with our precious bundles of joy & along with the regular jobs of homemaking, this can be quite a trial.
Matthew 6:34 says " Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself." I believe God told us this so that we would stay focused on today's business and do the best we can with today. Worrying about tomorrow or next week or even next year does no good, because we don't know what will be. God knows, and He has everything in control and knows exactly what we will accomplish, fail at, and go through. His plan is perfect-though I'm sure each of us can look and say that we have a hard time understanding that one!
I have had many trials during my travels down the path of life and I have cried out to Him on more than one occasion, begging for His intercession. I think that is one reason we do have trials. They teach us to rely on Him. I know that I would not be who I am today if not for those painful, scary times. I can honestly say I didn't appreciate going through those growing lessons, but looking back now-I wouldn't change anything because I am His child and as my Father, He knew exactly where I would go, what I would do and what He could use me for. I thank Him for being beside me every step of the way, even when I traveled down a path He didn't desire me to take.
Because of His faithfulness during my trials, I know that I can fully rely on Him to take care of everything. I don't have to worry, fret, be uncertain or doubt myself-because He is leading me and I trust Him completely. I was asked some years ago how I hear Him. I didn't understand at first. I thought the woman was asking me if I heard his actual voice (and then maybe considered I might be crazy). I talked with God about her question and came back to her. I told her how I hear Him, and after she said she doesn't hear Him, I asked her if she was listening for His voice. That conversation made me realize that I do hear Him clearly and I am forever thankful that I do.
The next step in hearing Him-is to actually listen. Don't second guess whether it's Him. Dive in and answer. As you do this, you will see Him answer and after awhile you will hear Him and know to do His bidding. I have a child like faith. I just assume He wants me to obey and I do. Somedays I will admit, I may have an additional conversation with Him-telling Him it's not really something I want to do, or asking to be released from a task He has asked me to complete. God has a great sense of humor. Whenever I get into one of these conversations with Him, he uses humor to bring me around to His will. That our God is so patient with us is amazing. That He offers us grace each day, a new beginning-is a blessing. Imagine if He tallied up our sins, errors, disobedience etc each day. We'd surely be in trouble!
As homeschooling moms, we can sure get ourselves worked up into a tizzy. Am I doing my best, are my children learning everything they should, what else should I be doing? Did I miss anything? I'm quite sure the majority of us are doing our best, that are children will never learn everything they should and that we will miss things along the way. We are not perfect, nor are our children.
Matthew 6:8 says, "Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him." He knows what you need, what your children will need and what their children will need. He also has a plan for each of them. He has given them gifts and will lead them to use the gift He has blessed them with to do His service. What He asks of us is to do our best to teach them to hear Him, to follow Him and to obey Him. He will take care of it from there. Thank you Father for being faithful to my children, and to want the best for them and to love them far more than I could ever hope to.
Psalm 25:4 says "Teach me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me." I ask Him to do this for me consistently. I also ask Him to do this for each one of my precious children. I ask Him for the wisdom to do what is right for each child or adult child in my case. I ask Him to give me the words that they are to hear that will bring them to the place He wants them to be. I am human. I will not do it right always. I cannot. I accept this and do the best I can, trusting God's word-that He will fill in those gaps of learning and be there to help my children succeed. I have already been blessed to see the answers from Him and do trust Him, explicitly! He alone, can do everything. We, with His help, can do much.
Give your worries to Him-He can and will handle them for you.

Our Father's Gift

Many times over the past month my mind has reminded me that I haven't written a new post here. I have been afraid to bore you with the same thoughts day in and day out, so have not written at all. My lovely aunt wrote me this, "When I need to be reminded of God's complete provision for each one of us, I refer back to your blog and read it all over again!!" It suggested to me that it is not my job to decide what you should hear from me, but to speak from my heart and let you decide what to take away from the blog. So, I humbly write once again...
There has been a great sadness in my heart of late. My sister would have turned 41 in the first week of September, and each year I miss her more than ever. It is hard to miss someone so much day after day. I am so very thankful that she is in heaven with Jesus waiting for our reunion. I know my dad was really feeling her absence this past month as well. He posted an adorable picture she had made for him when she was young. I so enjoyed seeing another glimpse of my sister's heart. I truly cannot fathom how anyone can survive a day not knowing that heaven is waiting for the believer.
I have been receiving daily updates on a man who will soon go home to the Lord. He is one of the first attorneys for Home School Legal Defense. His name is Chris and he has suffered for years from MS, and is now at the end of this suffering. He has such a beautiful heart for our Father, and I have to say I admire him and the work he has done for each one of us that homeschool, always honoring the Lord in his work. His wife Tracy, is an amazing woman. She faithfully writes to us letting us know how Chris is fairing each day, always reminding us of God's perfect timing, love and grace. How brave she is! Her faithful husband, companion and father of her children is leaving to go home and each day she thanks God. Wow! I do not know if I could be so brave. My heart aches for this family each day as they say goodbye to this loving man. Their faith is evident and encourages me to once again face another day. I am confident that Chris will hear Good Job, My Faithful Servant when he arrives to meet our Saviour. I have never met this man, yet my heart hurts so badly. I want to wrap my arms around this family and tell them how much I care.
That we believers have a new beginning is a most precious gift. Yes, we hurt here on earth especially when a loved one goes ahead, but knowing we will meet again makes each day survivable as I continue to do God's bidding while I await His return.