This may not be the last post about what my kids have taught me through the years! I am still learning from them daily. I love how they are emerging into adults and continuing to amaze me with their insights into loss, love, victories and defeats. Here is part two of what my kids taught me.

Part one is here 

Homeschooling Reflections Part One: What My Kids Taught Me

 

Number Three: be willing to be flexible

Our best-made plans are just that: our plans. I learned over the years how important it is to plan wisely, yet simultaneously prepare for changes that can occur unexpectedly. When these happen, we are required to pivot. When your kids try out for a team and don’t make it, pivot. Sick kids require long days at home… pivot. These moments can be frustrating, but they are also moments of surrender and of trusting God with the outcome. I know very well the disappointment when plans change, and as hard as it is for us as moms, often it’s harder on our kids. We set the tone when it comes to managing the unexpected. If we choose to sulk, to complain, to get angry or to be irritated, our kids absorb those moods and likely fall prey to those same emotions the next time. 

I know, I have been there and needed to manage my own emotions. Of course we need to feel the disappointment, to cry, to be upset. This is all important! It’s vital to acknowledge these emotions, but when we let them rule us entirely, then the fruit of the Spirit is locked away in a closet. We need to put off the sin that entangles and go forth in freedom, open that seemingly locked door and welcome love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. The invitation is there. The fruit is there for our taking, and we don’t want to neglect that truth.

 

Number Four: take risks, wisely

Even the thought of becoming a mom is a risk; there are so many unknowns that go with it. My husband and I did not know when and if we would be able to have children, we both just knew that we were ready to begin the journey and then prayed about it. In God’s goodness and his grace, he blessed us with five children. When I think of risk taking, I also pair that with wisdom. You don’t want to be impulsive, reckless or impatient. It’s a leap of faith to trust the next steps when you can’t see what is ahead, and that it is an element of risk.  But when you trust the God of the universe, you are so covered! He knows what we need before we need it, (Matthew 6:8). He hems us in front and behind (Psalm 139:5). He holds us on the he palm of his hand (Isaiah 49:16) When we wait patiently for the Lord he turns to hear our cry! (Psalm 40) He created us! He knows and loves us! His plans are always better than ours.

My kids taught me to trust God through it all because I saw them trust me. The reflection of their trust in me reminded me of how I trust God. Do they see my trusting God? Or do they see my trust in myself only? I made decisions for them that were hard to make and also easy to make. It always required an incredible amount of prayer and discussion before we made any big decisions. I now watch them take risks, and they do it wisely. I have also watched them do the opposite. They have also seen me do that. I have learned from them to trust that God is in control, and to trust the process. We fool ourselves when we think that we are in control, we become little gods and forget who our Heavenly Father is, just that our Heavenly Father that loves us so much!

He wants to bless us but as our pastor Robbie Symons said yesterday, “what good is the blessing without God? He is the blessing.“ I want God in all of my life and that includes making decisions, and taking risks wisely.

 

Look beyond myself

Talk less listen more

Be flexible

Take risks, wisely

 

All of this is just scratching the surface of what my children have taught me, and this is just the beginning of sharing what I have learned. I am so grateful for my children, and that we have been able to journey through life together despite the ups and downs of homeschooling. I don’t regret it, I’m thankful for the moments, even the really hard ones because they have shaped me into who I am today.

Children teach us if we are willing to learn.

May we all be willing to keep learning and growing and allow Jesus to  be at the center of it all.

He is my firm foundation (Isaiah 33:6, Matthew 7:24-27)