Is Homeschooling Stealing Your Joy?

By Ashley Morrisson

Here we are in January again… Christmas is behind us, all of the parties and obligations past. I don’t know about you but not much in the way of formal schooling happens in our house from Thanksgiving to New Year. Christmas presents are still strewn about the house and haven’t been assigned homes yet. The Public schools are back in full swing and my school/activity calendar is rapidly filling. My facebook newsfeed is plastered with friends resolutions to get the house “Kondo-ed” or hit the gym more while their little blessings are tucked safely in school for 6 hours a day. I’m lucky to get a shower and make it halfway through our schoolwork before some sort of bomb goes off in my house. I’m overtired, over-scheduled, and just over it; that school bus looks more and more appealing as my January rolls on… But hey it IS a free trial month for 2019 anyway right?

“Children are a gift of the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward” – Psalm 127:3

I feel like there was supposed to be Joy…God says my children are a GIFT from Him and considered a reward. I get glimpses of that but mostly just groundhog day over and over again. I was told once by a fellow mama that she sends her kids to public school to keep her sanity and enjoy her kids more. So that leaves me to wonder is Homeschooling stealing my joy?

If you hear your own voice in my words take heart dear friend, there IS supposed to be JOY!

Think back to what lead you to homeschool. Was it a desire to be with your children more? Maybe the thought of public school frightened you, or you were confident your life would look a little like the Sound of Music? (without the Germans of course) Whatever your reason to Homeschool your children it was rooted in a calling from our Lord to teach your children diligently.

“These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.” Deut 6:6-7

We each were called by God to teach these sweet babies during each moment of each day. What is that supposed to look like though? Also what happened to the joy? Well perhaps your schedule like mine is too full, school, sports, church events, playdates (because how will they ever socialize?!?) I wonder what God thinks of my schedule? Am I teaching my children diligently?

“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary” Gal 6:9

That leads me to ask… what am I sowing in my children’s lives? What am I going to reap? The preceding verse to the command to teach our children has the secret to our missing joy.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” Deut 6:5

When I realized WHAT I was supposed to be sowing, What I was supposed to be teaching, What my calling to homeschool was really about… Oh sweet friends There was the JOY!! We are not called to be in every sport, top marks in every subject, star in every church play… We are called to point our children our blessing from God, AT God! So if you have “lost that lovin’ feeling” in your homeschool I challenge you to submit your schedule to God and ask Him to prune it, Ask Him to show you how to weave Him back into it and renew your JOY.