Homeschooling families can sometimes lose sight of the fact that the end result of our efforts involves much more than merely producing better educated graduates than our secular counterparts. Whether as a teacher, student, athlete, or breadwinner, if we allow ourselves to wallow in discouragement because we haven’t measured up to the next guy, we have lost sight of our highest calling: to seek first God's Kingdom and accept the outcomes He has ordained for us. Failing to run our appointed races with patience and allowing ourselves to become discouraged when accomplishments are not realized in our own timeframe, is a good description of living in the flesh. Seeking first the Kingdom of God sets us up to hear the welcoming words of Our Lord, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
All we can strive for is to do better than we have done. (This is a gift from God.)
If in an individual event or action we achieve this and yet are dismayed, our upset is not with the individual performance, but rather it is with who we are. Since we are not self-created, our upset is actually with God Himself.
It is the depth of this unsuspected darkness that can awaken and return the Christian to the foot of the Cross. (~Anonymous~)
- Andrea G. Schwartz
Andrea Schwartz is Chalcedon’s family and Christian education advocate, and the author of eight books including: A House for God: Building a Kingdom-Driven Family, The Biblical Trustee Family: Understanding God’s Purpose for Your Household, Empowered: Developing Strong Women for Kingdom Service, Woman of the House: A Mother’s Role in Building a Christian Culture, and The Homeschool Life: Discovering God’s Way to Family-Based Education. She’s also the co-host of the Out of the Question podcast, the Chalcedon podcast, and has an active teaching schedule with women and high schooled students.. She can be reached at [email protected].