Focus

I was just reading in the Book of Mark, Chapter 2, this morning, where Jesus healed the man with palsy. Afterward, some people were murmuring and He poses the question to them: Which is harder; For a man to heal the body or to forgive sins? That really hit me. In our world, we put so much emphasis on the physical: physical healing, physical intelligence, physical prowess. What about the spiritual?

Which is more important? Now, Jesus wasn’t saying that the physical wasn’t important, and neither am I. Think about how much focus we homeschoolers put on the outward achievements, like learning to read (which is really important), but less focus on learning to forgive or overlooking the faults of our brother? Which one should receive more training time and prayer?

I don’t know about you, but teaching my kids academics has certainly driven me to my knees. Reading, in particular, has been an area that I’ve cried and stressed over in a major way, but I wonder, have I prayed about my sons’ relationship with each other, as much? Have I come to the Father with my desire for them to seek His will in their lives as often as I’ve prayed about curriculum?

I wonder if the verses about “seeking first the kingdom of God and all these other things shall be added unto you” (paraphrased) applies to homeschooling, also? If I were to truly put what God says is really important to Him as the center of my kids’ day, would that make a huge difference and impact in their life? Would it make a difference in how they learned to read and do math? I’m really getting curious about that…

Ultimately, we are only here a very short while, but eternity lasts forever. FOREVER! And while we most certainly should strive to learn and grow while we are on this earth, let us not forget what our true focus should be.

I once read, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste” (coined in 1972, by Arthur Fletcher, former head of the United Negro College Fund). That’s definitely true, but even more so, “A soul is a terrible thing to neglect.” Let us not get so caught up in filling our children’s heads with knowledge that we forget to nourish their souls with the truth of God.

Jenny Underwood is a wife to her amazing husband of 17 years and stay-at-home momma to 3 kids with another on the way. She blogs at https://www.inconvenientfamily.com where she is learning that blessings aren’t always convenient.