In crisis, remember why
Psalm 32:8 (NLT) – “The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”
Isaiah 43:1b-3 (ESV) – “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”
Matthew 28:20b (NLT) – [Jesus said,] “be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Hebrews 13:5b-6 (NLT) – “God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The LORD is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?’”
I stumbled on a phrase last week that startled me. It came from a parent blogger who was attempting to describe the reality of their current season of attempting to educate their children at home – “crisis schooling.” Sort of for fun, but also in order to think more seriously about this potentially traumatic state that innumerable families have now found themselves in, I started thinking of alliterative phrases that might expand on that initial idea. lockdown learning, quarantine quests, emergency education, trauma teaching, catastrophe classes, disaster discoveries, pandemic pedagogy, socially distanced schooling, gap guidance, remote research, distance development, sequestration studies, confinement coaching, reclusive rumination. Pay attention to any of these phrases that stood out to you. They may carry positive or negative connotations, depending on your experience, personality, family dynamics, levels of stress, and other factors.
One of the things that can happen during a crisis such as this global pandemic that we’re in is that we suddenly start down a certain pathway because of the initial emergency. We may find ourselves thrust suddenly into a situation where we have to make fairly large decisions much more quickly than we’d like to. With time crunches, financial crunches, emotional bandwidth crunches, personal space crunches, rising stress levels, rising concerns about health and resources, simply not knowing . . . these can all make it more challenging to pause and reflect on where we’re headed and why we’re even going in that direction. This is important, whether we are seasoned home school teachers or have just been thrust into this territory that we had not previously considered.
I want to invite us today to pause, take some deep breaths, and remember why we’re doing what we’re doing in educating our children at home. I haven’t run a marathon, but I have experienced crises during a very long walk across Spain – I walked most of the Camino de Santiago route “Camino Frances” in 2016. During a particularly mind-numbing portion walking across the “Meseta” or “plain” (where the rain in Spain most certainly does not fall!), there were times where it felt like time became fluid and unmeasurable. I became so exhausted, physically and mentally that I was tempted to just give up and fall down by the side of the path. There were long stretches with no people or signs of civilization for as far as you could see. My daughter and I had to remind one another of why we were doing what we were doing, to give us the encouragement we needed to continue and hopefully complete our journey. We sang songs of hope and joy, we took rest breaks, we ate protein snacks, we stayed hydrated. Remembering our destination, our goal, motivated us to keep taking one more step and then another.
As with any long walk, hike, or marathon, it’s pretty essential to know why we’re doing what we’re doing, so we’ll know which way to go and can pace ourselves along the way. Imagine that you are being interviewed by someone who wants to offer encouragement to others in their journey of educating their children at home. How would you describe the reasons for doing what you’re doing? Rest assured that no one can do this perfectly. Do not disqualify yourself because you’ve taken some detours or completely lost sight of your “whys” at times. Take some time to remember, or to discover for the first time, that to which God is calling you. Why are you doing what you’re doing? Certainly, as Christ-followers, Jesus is our ultimate goal. But how He works in and through each one of our lives is deeply personal and beautifully multifaceted. God loves each of us intimately and personally and has very intimate and personal invitations for each one of us. We do not need to compare ourselves to others. He invites us to rest in the freedom of His grace and provision for us with the children He’s entrusted into our love and care. He invites us to participate with Him in bringing about His Kingdom purposes in the lives of our families and beyond.
I want to encourage you, dear parents, to not allow your hearts and minds to be distracted, dragged down, or diverted from the direction which God has you. He is with you – He will help you every step of the way! Whenever you feel that you have lost your way, need rest or refreshment, take a pause and let God remind you of why He has you doing what He’s set before you for your family. He will supply all that you need to do whatever He’s called you to do. He’s got you.
#homeschooling #homeschool #home #school
