Destination Order and Peace

We all want to get there – that place of ordered peace that provides such joy to a mother’s heart. You know the ingredients: cheerful obedience, productive days, and kindness to one another with a marked absence of bickering and complaining.

How do we get there?

It seems that the more we try, the more there are interruptions and challenges that lead to a houseful of chaos and confusion.

That makes me stop and think. Should peaceful order be a goal, or is it really a by-product?

Maybe our goal should really be hearts of surrender to God’s will.

In my years of homeschooling, I have come to that conclusion. The feeling of peace and order is directly proportional to my heart rather than the circumstances happening at my house.

My heart is the wellspring of life in my home. It sets the tone. The state of my attitude influences the children.

So, there might be spills, lost books, and some minor skirmishes among the children, but if my heart is at peace, we flow right on without much delay to learn and discover whatever God has on the agenda for us.

Surrender

So, what’s an organized, productive Mom supposed to do with her agenda?

Should she even have one?

Yes, moms should have an agenda for the day because she who fails to plan, plans to fail. YET! We are not Lord of our homeschool. There is one greater who is sovereign over the nations. He causes empires to rise and fall. He knits babies together in their mothers’ wombs, and he notices when the tiniest sparrow falls to the ground. He (King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Emmanuel) is the Lord of our homeschools.

Peace in my own heart began to deepen and grow when I surrendered each and every day to Jesus. “Lord, here is my day. Here is my agenda. I really want my agenda to happen, Lord. However, I’m surrendering all my plans to you. If the unexpected happens, would you pour grace out and give me so much peace and joy? I don’t want to be disappointed; I want to trust you. You are in control. Have your way.”

Prayer

The first prayer leads to many more prayers throughout the day.

• “Lord, I don’t know how to handle this!”
• “How can I help them understand?”
• “Are you seeing this? I could use some wisdom.”
• “Help!”

You see God has my back if I ask.

What He wants more than a perfect homeschool day is a relationship with homeschool moms. Instead of homeschooling FOR Him, why not homeschool with Him? After all, Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. 

God’s Word

God speaks to us and our children through His Word. It’s how He’s chosen to communicate with us. Reading the Bible each day is more important than any other subject.

Moms need time in the Word to be strong in the Lord. I remember as a young mom stashing Bibles all over the house (bathroom, kitchen cabinet, coffee table, and beside my bed) so if there was a spare moment, I could read one somewhere. It was really hard in those days to get reading the Scriptures in each day. As soon as I would start to read, my children would gather around or desperately need my attention.

So, I would just say to my little lambs, “Mommy is reading the Bible. Come and listen.” Then I would read the Scripture aloud in my most animated voice so that even genealogies sounded exciting to their little ears.

Beyond reading the Bible together, consider adding Scripture to other subjects.

• Handwriting: copy Bible verses or passages
• Writing: summarize and paraphrase Bible passages
• History: include Scripture in your studies (example – read about Joseph & Moses when you study Egypt)
• Geography: use then and now Bible maps
• Drama: act out Bible stories
• Music: set the psalms to your own melody (after all, it is a songbook)
• Science: use creation-based science textbooks

The Bible has so much to say about EVERYTHING!

Here are just a few examples.

• Math (counting, measuring): Genesis 6:15-16; I Kings 6:2-3; Luke 14:28
• Geography: Genesis 1:1; Esther 1:1; Isaiah 40:22; Ezekiel 48:1-29; Psalm 24:1
• Oceanography: Psalm 8:6-8; Exodus 15:8; II Samuel 22:16
• Writing: Luke 1:3; Deuteronomy 31:24; Joshua 24:26

As we grow in knowing and obeying God’s Word, we are able to test everything we read and watch with the ultimate standard: His Holy Bible. This is another way that we yield to Him and His Truth.

The Byproduct

When we surrender to Him, pray, and study God’s Word, we will see a change in ourselves and our children. More Him and less us. More peace and joy with less complaining and strife. It is a slow process, but it does happen!

Instead of making order and peace your goal, make pressing into Jesus your goal this year. Order with peace will be a beautiful byproduct.

For more life lessons I’ve learned in the trenches of homeschooling, read my blog post Six Important Lessons I’ve Learned the Hard Way Over the Past Six Decades.

Until next time, Happy Homeschooling!

Warmly,

Meredith Curtis

Bio

Meredith Curtis, homeschooling mom, writer, speaker, and publisher, loves to encourage families in their homeschooling adventure. She is the author of Travel God’s World Geography, Travel God’s World Cookbook,  and HIS Story of the 20^th Century. You can check out her books, curricula, unit studies, and Bible studies at PowerlineProd.com. Read her blogs at PowerlineProd.com and listen to her at Finish Well Podcast.