With school just a few weeks away I have a lot of my mind. This year I have children in 11^th, 9^th, and 5^th grade to teach. It’s high time to get the books out, start on lesson plans, make schedules, buy supplies, and more. But in the midst of it all, I want to remind myself of 5 very important things.

Relationships trump everything else!

 The relationship we have with God and the relationship we have with others is really the only thing that matters from an eternal perspective. The greatest commandment sums it up with love.  “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets,”  Matthew 22:36-40.  Life is about relationships. Does our homeschooling foster this idea?

 Stop comparing our family to everyone else!

God’s plan for our life is the standard all must seek. God created each of us (and our family) in a unique way. Unless we embrace our differences and seek out God’s will for our family, we will constantly struggle in this area.  We are all striving to live our life and raise our family in a way that is pleasing to Him. Some are simply further down the road than others.  Some have been traveling longer. Some travel at a faster pace. And some take a different path altogether. My life will not look like yours. Your life will not look like mine. But let each of us look like Christ. If we are going to compare our lives with anyone, let it be His!  “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked,” 1 John 2:6.

 Have fun and love to learn!

 I can get so caught up in teaching my children something that I completely miss the point. I am trying to cultivate a love for learning in them. I need to remember that this will never be done by drilling facts or figures into their head. We are so blessed in that we have the freedom in how we teach our children. In that we can make learning interesting. Smile, laugh, and enjoy learning together! You’ll be surprised at how much more that will retain. “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord,” Colossians 3:23a.

 Don’t become too busy; live the simple life!

I understand that learning can take place in the car, library, at co-op’s, and during field trips. In addition, our children can be involved in jobs, ministry, sports, music lessons, volunteer work, and more. We have the world as our classroom and opportunities abound for our children, but we cannot do it all. It is not really an issue of whether or not we can do it all.  The issue is that we shouldn’t even try. In truth, the home is an important aspect of home education. In the excitement of planning for this upcoming year, I really want to remember that sometimes “busy” can stand for “Bound Under Satan’s Yoke.”  “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour,” 1 Peter 5:8.

 Don’t forget why we are doing this!

There are many reasons we homeschool our children. I could talk about the educational value, the protection it offers, the positive impact it has on the family, the freedom and flexibility it offers, and so much more. But the bottom line is that God has called my husband and me to disciple our children by His Word and in His ways. Simply put, homeschooling makes the process a lot easier. For now, this is the will of God for our family and being in His will is exactly where we want to be.

“ And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God,” Romans 12:2.