Rest and Reflection

When I was a young parent, gushing over my small children, a few cynical parents commented, “Wait until they are teenagers. Then we will see if you feel the same way.” I always responded, “I can’t wait!” Well, that was twenty years ago. I only have four teenagers left in the house now. As good as their infant years were, the teens and now twenties have been even better because now I get to talk with my children rather than to them.

Today, I was talking with one of my daughters. While all my children are emotionally deep, she was probably the deepest at the youngest age, due to various circumstances that God ordained to come her way. I know she spends time reflecting on life, so I asked her what that looks like and what the means for her. She said that many young people delete pictures of past events off their devices, especially if they brought about difficult memories, but she keeps them to look back on how God has matured her and how He has showed Himself faithful over the years. Only two days ago I actually heard her speaking with her two younger sisters about this very thing as she was looking at some old photographs on her iPhone.

She recognizes that many of her age group do not take time to reflect. They get so used to all the noise of their world, they feel disjointed if they take a season to shut it out in order to think about life and what role God wants them to play in it. She shared that she did not want to get bogged down in the minutia but live a life that is focused upon God’s big picture of life.

Since most homeschoolers take a few months off in the summer, it is a good time for us parents to reset educationally and emotionally and reflect on our homeschooling journey. It is also a good time to ask ourselves if our home is what we want it to be and ask God if we need to make any adjustments in the year ahead. This is hard to do as bills still need to be paid and stomachs need to be filled, especially if you have teenage boys. This shouldn’t be a doom and gloom experience but one of an anticipation of God’s grace.

Proverbs 21:5 reminds us, The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. It is a good thing to plan; however, Proverbs 19:21 balances this out with many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. I encourage you this month to find a little time alone, with your spouse, and with your aging children to rest, reflect, and pray about the next homeschooling season.

1. As we reflect over the past year, what is one thing that God done in your personal life, marriage life, family life, or homeschooling life? These may not be monumental things but small kisses of grace that we need to recount.
   • I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. –Psalms 9:1
   • We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. –Psalms 78:4
2. How have you grown as a person in the last year? Are you more patient? More disciplined? Stronger in the word of God? Greater confidence in God? You endured! Celebrate God’s sanctifying grace in your life.
   • but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. –2 Peter 3:18
   • We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly… –2 Thes. 1:3
3. Similarly, what growth have you seen in your children in the past year? I encourage you to raise these as praises to your Lord. They may have become more content, more mature, less critical, as well as any academic growth.
   • Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. –Psalms 128:3
   • Therefore you shall keep his statutes and his commandments, which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for all time.” –Deut. 4:40
4. Do you feel like God is with you in this journey or do you feel He is always disappointed in your efforts? If the latter, you need to think over and pray these scriptures:
   • The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. –Zeph. 3:17
   • Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. –Psalms 23:4
5. If your schooling did not meet your expectations last year, 1) were your expectations overly optimistic; 2) was it because you are so focused on one bad thing that you missed the three good things; 3) did you try to do too much; 4) were you imitating others rather than seeking God for yourself; 5) etc.
   • As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. –Gen. 50:20
   • But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” –1 Samuel 16:7
6. What positive character traits did you see manifest in your children last year? Have you made a big deal about these to your children in order to reinforce them from a positive viewpoint? How can you build upon these for next year?
   • I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. –3 John 1:14
   • Be careful to obey all these words that I command you, that it may go well with you and with your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God. –Deu. 12:28
7. As next year approaches, consider writing down only one or two goals for your children’s physical, emotional, spiritual, relational areas in addition to your academic goals. This can be a simple as doing 10 push-ups at a time for physical goals or reading one chapter a day from the bible for a spiritual goal. Then, submit those to the Lord.
   • Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. –Proverbs 16:3
   • May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans! –Psalms 20:4
8. Consider having a special meal before you start the school year. Talk about all the good things that are going on in your children’s lives and share some of your hopes for the upcoming year. Have a special time of prayer at the end when you commit your entire schooling experience to the Lord. Let’s see what God will do.
   • “As for me, I would seek God, and to God would I commit my cause,–Job 5:8
   • And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. —Acts 20:32
9. Seek to make time for genuine rest regarding sleep, recreation, and refreshing, both as parents and as children.
   • but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. –Is. 40:31
   • A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. –Proverbs 17:22
10. May we walk in full knowledge that God is in sovereign control and what He does He does for our good and His glory.
    • And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,^[a] for those who are called according to his purpose. –Romans 8:28
    • and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” –Daniel 4:35