Homeschooling Mom, Take the Time to Fill Your Cup

Picture this: it is mid-morning on a Friday, your children are still sleeping, and your husband is on the sofa nonchalantly reading his favorite book. You have had an exhausting week of homeschooling, managing your home, and balancing all of the things that you, as a mom of many rambunctious children, must balance. You ask your husband if he minds if you make a quick coffee run to your favorite establishment down the street. He agrees to your proposition, and you arrive at your destination, go inside, and order the biggest, most highly caffeinated cup of coffee that the place sells. As the barista prepares your drink, it suddenly begins overflowing. Not just dribbling over the edges, but pouring on the ground in a rushing stream of sugary, sticky goodness. The coffee is everywhere. Your mind is frazzled, but you simply order another cup. You get home with your drink a few minutes later than expected, but all is well.

Now, picture this: you, as a mom, have your own cup. It is not necessarily filled with coffee 24/7, but its contents dictate how well you will be able to care for those around you. If your cup is empty, it cannot be poured out in service to the Lord and to your husband and children who will come to need you throughout the day.

I was a homeschooling mama to three boys for twenty years in total. Trust me when I tell you that you, as an instructor of little minds, have to make time to care for your own needs. The cup of coffee in my story above was overflowing, much as you should be as a homeschooling mother. Think of it this way: you have a large cup and your children are thirsty. They are not only physically thirsty (though this happens a lot), but they are academically thirsty, spiritually thirsty, and emotionally thirsty, as well. In order to keep a tiny human alive and thriving, you have to fill that cup.

In my early days of homeschooling my boys, feelings of guilt and shame would arise when I would tend to my own physical, emotional, or spiritual needs. I knew that God had called me to nurture my boys, but I would sometimes forget that He calls me to care of myself, too. If you stand in that space today, this is your reminder. You cannot pour out onto others from a cup that has not been adequately filled. Author Hannah Brencher says it best in her new book Fighting Forward when she says, “Operate out of the overflow.”

When I think of overflow, I think of coffee cups so full that the contents of them cannot be contained. The coffee runs over – just as our blessings do as homeschooling mamas. But, to fully grasp how wide, deep, and all-consuming the blessings are, we have to take the time to sow the seeds of self-care. Not the “love yourself above all else. Be empowered by worldly standards,” version of self-care, but the kind that teaches you to care for yourself as God does, realizing your value, identity, and worth are found in Him and Him alone.

Mama, I implore you to do as it says in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all of these things will be added to you.” When you seek the Lord, not only will you find Him, but you will find yourself wrapped in His goodness and infinite light. You, as a homeschooling mom, are a beacon of light to your children. In every circumstance, they are looking to you for guidance. Be sure that the insight that you provide comes directly from the living, breathing, and active Word of God. In doing this, your cup will never run dry. There will always be room for massive overflow. It is from the tremendous overflow that you can serve your people well.

Mama, fill your cup so that you can pour it out over your children, teaching them God’s ways and walking them down the path of truth and everlasting life. The job of every mother is to ensure that her children are well-acquainted with Jesus. But we cannot guide them down paths that we have not first walked ourselves. We must be fervent advocates of caring for our minds, bodies, and souls. These are the gifts that God has entrusted to us – let us honor them and treat them with care. In the midst of it all, God will be there.

Misty is a dreamer and a doer who believes we are all here for a reason and that we are created for a purpose. She encourages people to use their story to give God glory. Misty Phillip is a podcaster, speaker, author, and entrepreneur who is passionate about helping you spark your soul message.

Founder of Spark Media which consists of the Spark Christian Podcast Conference, Spark Now Summit, and the Spark Collective, she is the host of the popular By His Grace podcast. Misty inspires others through her leadership, speaking, and mastermind groups. She currently serves as the Houston Connect Leader for Christian Women in Media. Misty is the author of the best-selling Bible study The Struggle is Real: But So is God and Spark Podcast Planner 2020.

Website: MistyPhillip.com and SparkMedia.Ventures