Stones of Remembrance

By Kim Wolf

Joshua 4:4-7 – “So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, ‘Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder – to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, “What do these stones mean?” tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.’ “

When beginning our school year, most of us probably go before the Lord and bathe the coming academic year in prayer. But winding up the school year seems to take place at the same time our energy is winding down. (Thank the Lord for Easter Break – in more ways than one!)

This time of year it is so easy to feel like we are in a hamster wheel – running, running, running but going nowhere. Besides the end of the academic year soon coming to an end (for most of us) and the “cleaning up” of loose ends that this may bring, there are other things coming to a crescendo – sports, dance recital, music recital, end of year ceremonies and parties, conventions – the list seems to go on and on. With all this activity and the exhaustion that accompanies it, it is easy to forget all that has been accomplished during this school year and forget the grace and answered prayers that God has showered down upon us like April rain.

As the busyness of this time of year takes us by storm, all the little things can cause our thoughts of what we have accomplished to become distorted. When homeschool life gets a little overwhelming (or even life in general!) instead of remembering the rough days, we need to strengthen our faith by getting out those “stones of remembrance” and look back at all the ways God has worked. These “stones” are our faith manifested in physical reality – answered prayers, healings, a loved one’s salvation, a child finally grasping that math concept, challenges accepted and met – what a list!

I believe that if you are honest with yourself, you will agree that your school year really was a success! If you take a peek through your children’s notebooks and review what they have learned this year, you’ll realize that something really did get through! On those days when you may feel like you’re not teaching your children anything, look at all your children do know – The Lord used you to teach them that! Are they well rounded? Do they have a relationship with Jesus? Have they seen answered prayer? The Lord used you! God knew what He was doing when He put those children in your home.

These are our Stones of Remembrance!

Joshua 23:14 – “…You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.” Amen!