Beginning Again
By Jenny Dendinger
One of the many benefits of homeschooling is having the ability to decide when we will start back to school. While many kids have been back since early August, my family has been soaking up a few extra weeks of summer with bike rides and board games.
The downside to being in control of when you begin is that it’s a double-edged sword – you also have to make yourself start.
The truth is, I’ve been struggling with getting myself motivated to begin again.
Since my youngest is now 4 ½ and more than eager to learn, I will be teaching all five of my children this year. That means my brain will be jumping from teaching phonics to high school chemistry with quite a few more subjects in between.
I’m exhausted just thinking about it!
Thankfully, I know that God always has my back. This whole homeschooling thing was his idea in the first place, and each year that he calls us back to the table, I sit down with the truth that he is right there with us no matter how nervous I am about my abilities.
As I anxiously began getting everything organized and ready for our next school year, I found myself reaching for the small, folded piece of paper that I always keep close for times like this.
On it is a scribbled prayer that poured out of my heart many years ago: “God, grant me the grace to accept my children exactly where they are today, the strength to instruct and encourage them as they grow into the person you created them to be, and the wisdom to know that they are always in your loving care. Amen.
