School Days

It never fails. When this time of year rolls around, I always think about school. Sometimes I think about my own days as a school girl. Those first years spent in school rooms with high ceilings, oiled wooden floors, and no air conditioning. By Junior High we had a new school building but still no air conditioning. But I really don't remember suffering from the heat too much. We just adapted back then.

When our three children came along and got old enough for school, we decided we wanted to homeschool them. We sure got lots of disapproval and discouragement from lots of people. Many told us it would never work. They told us our kids would not get the proper education. That they would be "left behind". And that they needed more than anything else the "socialization" they would be missing. I'll be the first to admit that it was not always easy...for me or for our kids. But if I had to decide again I'd decide to homeschool even though it was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done.

I've had my kids tell me that when they told other children that they had school at home they would sometimes get a reply like: "I wish I could homeschool...I would lay on the couch and watch TV all day!" To which my child would reply, "Not if you had our Mother!!" ha I usually arose early, cooked breakfast, woke the kids up, we ate, they got dressed and we started school around 8:00 every morning. We began with pledges to the American and Christian flags and then had a short devotion. It was such a delight in the lower grades to be able to be the one to see "the light come on" in my child's head when he/she first learned to put the letters and sounds together to make words. Or to realize that numbers served more purpose than just being able to recite from one to one hundred. It was hard work for us all but looking back, to me it was worth it.

When I was teaching them from day to day, week to week, month to month, year to year, I thought it would never end. Now as I look back it seems like it passed so quickly. I'll never regret the time I got to spend with my children as they grew up.

I'm thinking that God feels the same way about His children. He doesn't regret any of the time He's spent teaching us, listening to our prayers, fellowshipping with us. In fact, He loves us so much He made a way for us to spend eternity with Him if we just accept His provision in His death on the cross! His advice to us pertaining to education can be found in 2 Timothy 2:15..."Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth." So as the time for School Days rolls around again this year I want to find myself studying the Word of God with God as my Teacher.

During the seventeen years I homeschooled our children, this verse became one of my favorites: " I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." 3 John 1:4. I'm pretty sure that's one of our Heavenly Father's favorites also! I encourage you to get in the Word. That's where Truth is found.

God bless you as you study and learn in God's classroom !

Marilyn