Just so you know, this is my first year attempting something God laid 0n my heart over 6 years ago. When I was pregnant with my first born, I laid my hand on my tummy and thought that I would like to be a homechooling mom, I had my reasons.

I wanted to be the one to shape my children into the absolutely very best that they could be and I believed with absolutely certainty that no person on earth could do that with the devotion I would.

Nevertheless, at age three, I sent my daughter to pre-school and 2 years later to Kindergarten. The schools she went to were very nice schools and she was blessed with wonderful, dedicated teachers. They were moments in her school walk I treasure, like a special Mother’s day luncheon her pre-school class hosted for their moms, the time when she performed in a Christmas concert with fellow kindergarteners, her Kindergarten Moving on ceremony (moving on to first grade) and much more.

Those moments made me almost reconsider my desire to homeschool for a moment, but they were things that would reconfirm that decision for me as well. Like some of things my child would come home and say, the behaviors that she would pick up from other kids, the songs she’d sing and more. I knew my daughter was changing and not into the kind of person I desired her to be.

You see, what is deemed normal for the world, is not normal for me and my family. I truly believe and know for a fact, that what you put in is what we are going to get out. What we allow to seep into our children’s world is going to influence who they become and I know I want my children to be lights in this dark world, but if I send them out too early the darkness will devour them.

I want to send them out there fully equipped, armed and ready for the schemes of the devil, and though most of us won’t admit to his existence, he is there, tugging at your kid’s hearts everyday.

So I went for it and truth be told, it has been rough, not because I am not capable of teaching and my lessons don’t go well or we’re having trouble adapting to our daily school routine, not even because I also have a three year old at home and he could be a little distracting between lessons.  It’s rough because right now I’m 5 months and still feel like I’m in my first trimester, i feel nauseous, fatigue and other annoying pregnancy symptoms. Also right now, there is not much me, there is just mom. Homeschooling is a major sacrifice.

Do I think it is worth it and will be worth it? Definitely. Do I believe God will help me to succeed? Definitely. Am I a bit scared? Absolutely.

But I know what I am fighting for. We all fight for what’s important to us and what is important to me is shaping some extraordinary human beings who will make the world better.

So I want to share with you a devotion I received in my inbox this morning, that was very much an encouragement to me and just what I needed.

The Proof Is in the Pudding January 21, 2013

I take a strong stand in the beliefs I hold about homeschooling. Perhaps after 25 years of educating my children at home, I have earned the right to stand on my soap box and state clearly why I know homeschooling works. I know it works because my children have proved it works. They have graduated from college with honors, they know how to socialize, and they are able to function well in the work world and their communities. More importantly, each of them knows the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and the truths of His Word.

Anyone is capable of teaching his children at home if he really wants. I have found that if you really want to follow the Lord and do what He asks, He will even overcome homeschooling obstacles like being a single parent, financial limitations, or a physical handicap. As God’s Word says in Romans 8:31, “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”

Are you questioning today whether or not to continue homeschooling? Perhaps you are in your first or second year of schooling and thinking, “Maybe there’s something better that I could be doing with my life.” I encourage you to remain faithful in homeschooling. You are making a difference in this world. You’re loving your family and teaching them to follow Christ. Your purpose for being a homeschooling parent is treasured by God. The rewards will come, but you must be faithful. Don’t give up! “Therefore, my beloved (homeschoolers), be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Jesus, just getting through this homeschooling day, let alone this year, seems like an enormous task. Please, empower me again by the Holy Spirit to stand firm in what You have shown me to do. In Your name I pray, Amen.

HAVE A BLESSED DAY!

Check-out these link-up parties, I’ve visited: Sharing Time, Dare to Share, Inspiration Spotlight Party, The Modest Mom, Monday Musings, Mommy Moments,Making your home sing Monday, Mama Moments Monday