Mommy learns a lesson…

I am always amazed when God answers prayers and answers them quickly! I know I shouldn’t be: I mean He is GOD and can and will do anything, but still, when little ‘ol me asks for help, and then BOOM! there is the answer, I am often amazed. I feel Him telling me, “See, I WILL take care of it. Just TRUST.”

You see, and I know all of you homeschoolers reading this will agree…Sometimes Many times, we feel like we are not doing enough, not good enough, compare ourselves withe everyone else….Well, at least I do. Even though when I sit in my quiet place and talk with God, and He assures me I am, it doesn’t take long for me to forget and start doubting myself again.

This week Luke had finished his Math U See program for the year. In the beginning he really liked Math U See. However by the past month or two he dreaded it. I couldn’t place my finger on why. It does not have lots of fun pictures and color, but it does use the manipulatives and he likes those. I love Math U See because it teaches the kids the concept behind the math and not just memorizing a bunch of rules on how to get the answer. Using the manipulatives gives a great visual to the concepts. However, lately Luke would just NOT be happy about math (is anyone? 🙂

Anyway, when he finished the book, I decided to look for some FUN ways to finish out our year with math. I found MathStart which looks great…I already put about 10 of the books on hold at the library. I also looked at Living Math which is great. I spent way too much time last night after the kids went to bed researching all the different approaches to Living Math and thinking about how I can get Luke excited about math again. If not excited at least how I can get him to see math as a useful tool for everyday life. How God created the numbers and how we need to know how math is relevant in our everyday lives. I don’t want him to just “know” how to solve the problems but to see why he needs to know.

SO then I started thinking obsessing, does he understand everything Grace did at the end of first grade? Skip counting? Regrouping in addition? Money? Charts? Tally marks? You see, for those who do not know Math U See, Math U see uses the mastery approach. It focuses on a main concept for a whole book, in order to master the concept before moving on. Previously we used Horizons math which taught a little about ALOT of different concepts. Personally, I think that Math U See’s approach makes more sense. Sure Grace could “do” many different concepts in first grade, but did she know “why?”

So there I sat last night, praying to God about MATH. Praying overall over all the choices out there…which by the way really overwhelm me sometimes, because they ALL look so GOOD! I asked God to just help me make good choices and to show me that I was doing an OK job.

This morning while Luke was waiting to use the computer to work on a project, he went and got his wallet and the family bank book where each child has an “account.” I asked what he was doing and he said, “Mom, I want to figure out how much money I have total in my account if I add it to what is in my wallet.” OK…next thing I know, he brings me this:

Ok, it is hard to see, but he wrote down $89.83 which is how much is in his account. Then he used tally marks to mark off the money in his wallet. Then he counted by 2’s to find out how many tally marks. Lastly, I helped him add the two numbers together, which he needed to regroup to get the answer.

Now, while this may seem really irrelevant, guess what? Last night, I specifically stressed about skip counting, regrouping, tally marks, and money. NO joke. These were the subjects of the MathStart books I put on hold.

Don’t you see…today Luke went and used all of these concepts in a real life situation. A specific concern of mine last night. Can GOD talk any louder!!!!!?? He basically said, “There. He knows it. Stop stressing!” Oh my! I can’t even believe that the God of all the universe, who knows each of the billions of stars by name, would stop and tell me Luke is doing fine in math. Mind boggling, isn’t it??

I don’t believe the real reason for His showing me this is just about math. It is to see that homeschooling IS working. He does bless our decision, and He will take care of these kids, if I just just obediently follow the call.

I know this was a long post, but it is always such a blessing to have God speak and I wanted to share it with everyone who reads this. When we trust Him, He WILL take care of our needs. He may not answer our prayer how WE want (I never wanted to homechool, but that was the answer he gave me 4 years ago, and it has been the biggest blessing in our family), but He will answer how HE wants, and that is the only answer we need. Trust Him fully, and He will take care of us.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-30

SimplyLivingforHim

April 22, 2010 by Karen DeBeus

Karen DeBeus

Join me on my journey to clear the clutter as I am simply living...for Him! I am a homeschooling mom sharing about my faith, family, hobby-farm life, and Jesus. I am also an author and speaker and love sharing my journey with others- and I am all about keeping it real and authentic! Join me as I seek less of this world and more of Jesus! Karen DeBeus is a homeschooling mom learning to live more simply and keep God at the center of it all. She is the author of three best-selling homeschooling books and writes at Simply Living for Him. She speaks nationally at homeschooling conventions and recently was a speaker at the Family Bible Conference in Washington, DC. Her passion is to help others clear the clutter from their lives, seek God first, and to encourage women and families to get in the Word every day. In 2016, she founded the Simply Living for Him Retreat, which is a time of rest and renewal for all women seeking Jesus. She enjoys life on her hobby farm with her husband and four children. Together they are a work-at-home family pursuing a simple life with purpose and, above all, seeking to glorify God in all they do.