God will guide you... if you will listen...

I am in the midst of starting to prepare for another year of homeschooling... we are soon to begin 4th grade!!  This means my mind is filled with thoughts and ideas of what to do differently this year, what new ideas should I implement, what should I toss, what curriculum should I change, and which should I stick with.

And then there are the thoughts like this that fill my mind at times, "She does this with her kids, maybe I should do that too."  Or, "Everyone seems to use this resource so will my children be lacking if I don't use it??"   This is really the comparison game... and I have been learning this summer, along with some other great moms, that comparing my insides to someone else's outsides never produces anything good. 

As one can imagine, all of this can be very overwhelming!

So how do I know from year to year what curriculum to use??  What to change and what to keep?? 

I have found that the best way to know how to teach my boys and what resources to use or not to use comes from spending time with my Lord.  That is right, spending time with the Lord... not from any homeschool convention, not from perusing tons of curriculum catalogs, and not doing something just because it works for someone else.  Not that these things are bad, but all of our direction should come from the Lord...

Just yesterday, during my morning devotions, I had started a little list of things to accomplish during the day (I jot down things that jump into my mind so I can get them out of my mind and can focus on the Lord and His Word).  I jotted this down...

• find a catechism to order

Now, this is something that has been in the back of my mind to do for several years.  I have not pursued it, but it has been sitting there, on the shelf in my mind, as something I really should be doing... as something that would be really good for my boys.  I know several people who teach catechisms to their children, and I have read numerous times about them.

Well, after writing that on my to-do list, I picked up "The Duties of Parents" by J. C. Ryle, and begin reading where I had left off the day before.  This is what I read:

"Any system of training which does not make a knowledge of Scripture the first thing is unsafe and unsound. 

You have need to be careful on this point just now, for the devil is abroad, and error abounds.  Some are to be found amongst us who give the Church the honour due to Jesus Christ.  Some are to be found who make the sacraments saviours and passports to eternal life.  And some are to be found in like manner who honour the catechism more than the Bible, or fill the minds of children with miserable little story-books, instead of the Scripture of truth.  But if you love your children, let the simple Bible be everything in the training of their souls; and let all other books go down and take second place. 

Care not so much for their being mighty in the catechism, as for their being mighty in the Scriptures.  This is the training, believe me, that God will honour."  page 16, emphasis mine

Wow!!  I heard my Lord... and I scratched find a catechism to order right off of my list! You see, we study the Bible a lot in our house, we read it together, we pray it together, we practice writing it, and we memorize it and hide it in our hearts.  My Lord sweetly confirmed to me that I do not need to add "another thing to do" to our list of school "stuff."  We just need to keep on doing what we are doing... teaching a love of the Word of God and It's importance to our boys!

God has graciously guided me year by year as to what I have needed to homeschool my boys for His honor and His glory.  He brings curriculum, ideas, and suggestions across my path in such a way that I know that it is His direction and His leading.  I choose to follow Him... for He knows best... He knows my boys better than I do... and He knows His plans for them.  What better curriculum consultant do I need??

Are you spending time with the Lord so He can guide you according to His Word?  Or are you listening to the voices of the world?  Or perhaps comparing your insides with someone else's outsides? 

Stop... and go spend some time with Him.  I promise, His Word will be a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path, showing you which way you should go...