Eight Daily Scriptures for the Homeschool Family
/The paths we all walk to, and through, homeschooling our kids, are as diverse and varied as our children. We all have our “whys” and our “hows” and, for the most part, have probably learned the lesson (again and again), that what works for one homeschool family, or one child even, doesn’t necessarily work for another. So we forge our path, we remain flexible, we modify and update (sometimes daily), and we pray.
A fave from our 2018-19 school pics photo session.
If you are like me, you get excited every day about the possibilities that await, about what your children will discover that day, about the time spent together, the love and laughs and fun.....and then they wake up, sometimes agreeable, sometimes not. Some mornings their ideas for the day align with yours. They wake with an excitement for the day and an attitude of cooperation. Some days.
But others, they wake with their own ideas of how the day should go, their desires for more play than work, and a less than cooperative temperament, maybe they don’t feel so great, or didn’t sleep well, or are frustrated by the current concepts. And the more kids you have, the more of these delightful personalities are at play, and conflict, and sometimes the day can unravel before it really even gets started.
They played Jenga instead of getting their work done. This was the exact moment before they started arguing!
That’s just the reality. Homeschooling is ah-mazing, but it’s also a challenge to see, and meet, the needs of each child, each day. Especially when that means laying down your own expectations, desires and plans.
I want to share these scriptures that I have found are helpful to pray through, write on your classroom white board, your bathroom mirror, sticky notes on your desk, or print them off….. Truths for life, but also a good way for the homeschool family to start the day off on the right foot. It’s easy to get our priorities out of line, loose faith, or just have a wrong heart attitude about the day, and these scripture truths are just a good way to keep it all in perspective.
Ephesians 6:1-2 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, that it may go well with you. I pray this over my kids, but also have taught them this truth. I especially point out that second line, that if they obey “it will go well with them” when they are complaining about a consequence or discipline coming their way, because the obvious deduction here is that if they don’t obey….it won’t go well. #truthbomb
Deuteronomy 11:19 You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. What a perfect description of homeschooling! We have a classroom and ‘school hours’ but we are teaching and learning all day, when we sit and walk and play, from sun up to sun down. Shouldn’t the same be true of Biblical truths? So, I pray this truth asking God to keep my priorities in check, not just in what I’m teaching, but also in how we structure our day. There’s no reason to force distinct learning times, when the Bible tells us it should happen all day long!
Joshua 25:15 “….choose this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Plain and simple, I pray this as a reminder to myself whom it is I serve. It’s not me, or my lesson plans, or a curriculum, or a standardized test, or a co-op, or extra-curricular activities, or… and this one will slip in without you even noticing if you’re not careful…your children. I serve the Lord.
2 Tim 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. This is a personal favorite that I pray in many situations. It’s the first scripture I memorized when I became a believer and struggled mightily with fear, and continues to be one of my go tos. But how does it fit the homeschooling family? How often do we hear, or say, I’m afraid I’m failing them, or not teaching them enough, or, this is really hard, I don’t think I can do it, or, I don’t know how to teach my kids? The nay-sayers (and the enemy) would have you believe you will fail them, that there’s no way you will teach them all they need to know, and that you don’t know how to teach your kids. But when we stand on the firm truth that God did not give us a spirit of fear, we can trust we don’t need to be afraid of what He’s called us to. Power….homeschool IS hard. That’s not a lie. There are tough days, but God didn’t say it would be easy, nor did He ask us to be perfect, He just asks us to show up. He doesn’t expect we will teach them all they need to know…that’s His job. He has put it in all of us (thank you for the reminder Sherri!), He just asks we pave the way, present the info, love our kids and teach them to love learning. And a sound mind….listen up mom or dad, you have been teaching your child since day one, how to smile, coo, hold a spoon, stack blocks, crawl, stand, walk, say thank you, use the potty….their education is no different. You learn as you go that you know your child better than anyone and can hone their strengths and work on their weaknesses better than anyone else. The biggest lie (I think) we believe in regard to homeschool, is that we, as parents, don’t know how to teach our kids. Yes, mom, dad, you do!
Isaiah 40:31 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. This one seems obvious to me….the days are long and wonderful mixed with difficulties on a constant spinning wheel. If you are running on your own strength, chances are, you’re going to get weary. You might not physically faint, but lethargy, annoyance, complacency can set in before you know it. But when we wait on the Lord, when we pray for Him to sustain us, when we trust in His timing and His ways, we will run this race with joy and endurance, instead of exhaustion and frustration.
John 14:1 Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me (Jesus). My personal prayer over this scripture stems from my impressive ability to feel overwhelmed and distressed over how school is going in the day to day. I want a fun atmosphere where happy kids and happy mom are working together to eagerly learn new skills and concepts. But I have five kids, grades, 4, 3, 1, K, and 8 months. There are very few days with no disturbance or defiance. Baby boy is on the move and into everything, fussy when he’s tired of his current arrangement, and needs fed, changed, or held at all the exact moments that a big needs help with an assignment. (LOL, maybe not exactly, every time, but it sure feels that way some days!) So, when Scott calls from work to check on our day and hears the stress in my voice, he often reminds me of this. In fact, he left a sweet note on my lesson plans he updated for me that simply stated, “God called you to this.” It was the sweetest reminder to just be calm, love our kids, and love the Lord.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Do you ever feel like it’s all on your shoulders? Teaching them to read, to write, to understand math concepts that were over your own head as a kid, to go to college, to be successful, to ensure the future is paved? Well, it’s not. None of that is on you, or me. I get so covered up in the pressure I’ve put on myself, until I’m reminded of this truth. These are not things for me to ensure, provide, or create in my childrens lives. God has their path marked out according to His plan, for His glory, not mine. Again, my job, our job as home educators, is to provide a rich learning environment for our children to thrive, grow and learn to love learning, and love the Lord. The rest is not ours to make happen. We have to learn to seek Him and trust what comes next.
1 Cor 13:1-13 1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 13 So now faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. Man, oh man, how I need this one every day. I’m a yeller. “Hello, my name is Julia, and I yell.” It is the thing I pray about constantly, to just quiet my voice, even a smidge. Our house is loud and kinda big, so I find I yell to be heard across the house or field, I yell because I get tired of repeating myself, I yell to be heard over the kids, I yell, way too much. I’ve been doing much better as of late, but last night, shew…..and don’t you just feel justified in the moment? I know I do. And maybe to some degree I was, but there’s a better way. God always shows us a better way, so today and every day, I pray over this scripture, that love would be on the end of my tongue.
I love when Scott slips in sweet words of encouragement !
So, obviously there are plenty other scriptures that speak truth and life into the heart of the homeschool mom (all moms for that matter!), but these are a few that speak to me that were on my heart to share with you.
Be blessed!
~Jules
Quick Scripture Reference:
Ephesians 6:1-2 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, that it may go well with you.
Deuteronomy 11:19 You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
Joshua 25:15 “….choose this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
2 Tim 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.
Isaiah 40:31 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.
John 14:1 Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me (Jesus).
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
1 Cor 13:1-13 1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 13 So now faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.