Elements of a Successful Homeschool Day

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life,

nor angels, nor principalities,

nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature,

shall be able to separate us from the love of God,

which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39

We have previously discussed the benefits of scheduling our days as homeschool moms. In a way, this is a never-ending process, because our situations are not static: children grow, new responsibilities are added, old ones are dropped, etc. However, with our God-given priorities to guide us, we are not left clueless. Having our priorities, we are much better prepared to tell which modifications are necessary, which tasks are important, which can be postponed or declined.

Here are some points that have helped me in a foundational way:

1. My husband's leadership. If I am to be a help-meet for my husband, I should be looking at his priorities. Just as I don't go out and blow his paycheck without consulting him, I should be spending my time accomplishing things that help him with his God given priorities regarding our family. For just about every homeschooling mom I know, establishing a relationship where the husband truly is leading has been a growing process, because many of us have been immersed in a culture where dads are not assumed to be involved in many aspects of parenting. Moms take over by design or by default. I have learned that I can help or impede my husband's progress in growing into the leader God intends.

2. Remembering God has qualified me. My abilities are not my qualification. God will equip me for what I need to accomplish. What is especially encouraging is God calls those whom the world deems incompetent. If my qualification is that I'm supermom, then I'm headed for a fall. He must become greater, I must become less.

3. Remembering God's priorities for my children. All day long. Hannah, in the Bible, seems to be an excellent example for us in this regard. Her priorities were definitely not steered by homeschool catalogs, either.

What are the challenges you most often face in a typical day? Are they reasons to quit homeschooling, or do they point you to greater opportunities to look to the Lord?