Building Endurance
Is your homeschooling experience sometimes more of a chore than a pleasure during this time of year? I’ve experienced this frustration. Evidence from your letters, calls and emails, shows that the winter blues directly affect our homes and educational efforts.
Sometimes it’s that we haven’t met self-imposed goals. Sickness may have put us far behind schedule. Cabin fever from the many winter storms may be making everyone edgy. The school routine can be a let down after the holidays.
We often begin homeschooling well rested, with stars in our eyes, excited children and new books and resources. After five months, usually during wintertime, homeschool can begin to loose its sparkle, or even become downright boring. It may even become a trial.
Life itself can be overwhelming at times when you add homeschooling it’s a whole new story. Satan is roaming around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He discourages us, divides families and causes havoc wherever he finds opportunity.
“Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.” James 1, 2-4
To endure means to remain firm under suffering or misfortune without yielding. We are told to count it all joy when we meet trouble. I don’t know anyone who wants or asks for trouble, but it often comes whether we ask for it or not.
We’re told that when troubles come our endurance has a chance to grow. I’m coming out of a great trouble. For six weeks now, I’ve been experiencing problems with my sciatica nerve. Anything I did, I could feel that nerve burning through the hip joint, down the thigh, around the calf and into my foot. This has given me a greater understanding of those who live with constant pain and those homeschool moms who persevere despite chronic illnesses. At times I’ve despaired of ever feeling “normal” (whatever that means) or well again! I’ve also learned that things (like this newsletter) can be put off and life doesn’t stop. I’ve learned that you can get lots of learning done on mom’s bed. I’m an independent spirit and would rather do it myself but through this trouble I’ve learned to ask for help, (“Please put on mommy’s socks.” “Please carry this laundry upstairs for me.”)
We will develop endurance through building a relationship with God. He alone knows what we’re going through, He alone can comfort, guide and protect. Then when our endurance is developed we will be strong in character. We’ll also be ready to face this difficulty (or a new one) when it comes around again.
Here are some things we can do during the winter blues and build endurance in our homeschooling:
Turn to God first; ask Him for wisdom. (James 1:2-8) In fact, the entire book of James contains wonderful advice for homeschooling families, if we lived by the advice found in James, our homes would be little “heavens on earth.”
Do a study with your children on wisdom using the book of Proverbs.
Relax your self-made expectations. It’s really not going to matter if the house doesn’t get dusted this week, or if the oven isn’t cleaned. But it does matter that we spend time with our children learning and growing together. Make sure the priorities are straight.
Read more together. By reading out loud together, you can experience history, travel to foreign countries, learn about famous scientists and learn ever so many things.
Start or revive a special project. Do a new learning project or pull out and dust off the one you started at the beginning of the year. Learn a new skill or craft.
Get outside in the sunshine when it’s out. The only way your body makes vitamin D is through sunshine. 10-15 minutes a day will make a big difference in your outlook on life.
Do something different or out of the ordinary. Have school time on mom’s bed and pretend you’re in a boat during a storm. Have school outside when the sun comes out. Take your learning to grandma’s house for the day.
Reach out to others by phone, email, letter or a visit. By putting others first, you’ll feel better by thinking about the person and sharing positive thoughts and not your own worries.
Lord, I need your healing and wisdom to refresh my spirit. Teach me to lean only on you and not look to my human understanding. Help me to be gentle with my dear children. Unite my ignorance with Your wisdom, so that our homeschool lacks in nothing. ~Judy
© March, 2002 ~ Judy Shewmake