If you missed the first part of this series, you can find it here. Today I am going to continue to highlight the points from my recent presentation on Ten Things Every New Homeschooler Should Know.
3. Your Homeschool Isn’t Supposed to Look Like Anyone Else’s
Ah, the comparison trap. It is one of the ugly side effects of homeschooling that comes from not keeping our eyes on God. When we take our eyes off of His plans for us, and look at what everyone else around us is doing, we start to compare, covet, and foster discontentment. We forget that God called us to homeschool for a unique purpose for our own family. It leads us to feel like a failure.
We must remember not to live for the expectation, but instead to live in the moment. So often we are so fixed on the picture in our mind of what homeschooling is “supposed to be like” we aren’t living in the moment of what it is right now. We are always thinking it will be better when…or
if only…instead of focusing on the present.
Do your expectations line up with God’s expectations for your homeschool? Are you basing your expectations on what everyone else is doing or what God has called you to do? The truth is, God did not call you to homeschool so that you could do what the person down the street is doing, or what the family at the co-op is doing, or even what the public school is doing. Sure, it is helpful to glean from each other, but never ever consider what someone else is doing as a way of measuring your own success. You work for an audience of One- the Lord. What He deems success for your family is all that matters.
When you are comparing yourself to what everyone else is doing, the truth is, it is coveting someone’s else’s life. Don’t go down that road. There is no fruit in coveting.
Finally, consider Martha and Mary. Do you want you to be so busy running around trying to keep up with everyone else, that you are forgetting to sit at Jesus’ feet like Mary did? Sit at His feet awhile and listen. That is where the lesson is!
Keep watching for the next post in this series where I will talk about simplifying. Oh, yes, that is my heart! Subscribe
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Called Home: Finding Joy in Letting God Lead Your Homeschool Available for PDF download or Kindle at Amazon. com just $0.99!
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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.
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