"Is there anybody else out there who has the problem of allowing emotions to rule her day?!"

With a BIG wink I could reply -- "Oh, no! Why here on the CHF board we ALWAYS have it together!" But I am afraid of the lightening bolt would suddenly hit it. If any reader can say that emotions *never* overruled her day — duck! You might suddenly see a bright flash and hear a loud voice!

You said that you "have yet to feel that I'm offering my kids a quality and consistent education." We walk by faith — not by our feelings — and that is so hard to remember when the world bombards us with reminders of "real" schools seem to offer: foreign languages, arts, phys ed, computer literacy, instant entries to Harvard Medical school. Or, when well-meaning folks inform us we are relegating our children to possible jail time by depriving them of peer-dependent learning environments — we FEEL we have once more failed again to get it right.

I am not certain how new you are to the board, forgive me -- but you have described the fateful component that shorts out my good intentions: "allowing despair, confusion, and guilt to set in." Most of my really spectacular defeats — the ones that still cause my now grown children to shake their heads in disbelief and murmur, "Remember when mom . . ." — have happened because of my will getting in the way of what I know is God's will. (Micah 6:8)

You must rest in the confidence that it is God who called you and God who will enable and God who will complete that which HE began — or His name isn't GOD! God never mocks His children! Sometimes, homeschoolers need to practice a Sabbath rest, if you will, from our labors; we need to cease as completely from work and worry — as God wanted ancient Israel to rest and trust HIM for their provisions.

God doesn't want ill-prepared servants -- and HE sure doesn't want sloppy, dumb children -- He will see to it that those who set their hearts to please Him will be prepared. A good academic education is the by-product of Biblical, Christ-centered character training — character training is *not* just part of a lesson plan we tack onto civics or religion. Stick to the task to which God called you with confidence that though you may be in the midst of a squall, your boat will not sink. Troubles are the best way for you to see God rule and overrule.

We sometimes keep looking so hard for *success* on a daily basis, we neglect being faithful in the small duties. Being faithful — and grateful — are the cornerstone of the big stuff — the stuff of good relationships with the children God gave us.

© Barbara W. Smith 1998, all rights reserved
Permission is given to reprint any of Barbara's articles in non-profit publications as long as the article is reprinted in full and contains the copyright information and Web site address.

Please send a copy of the publication to:
Third Floor Publishing
PO Box 827
Arnold, MD 21012

We hope our thoughts encourage you in the Lord Jesus Christ who has enabled us to do exceedingly abundantly more than we could have asked or imagined -- please let us know what YOU think. E-mail us at workbook@toad.net. (Please don't forget to include your e-mail address with in the body of the message--we've had some of our responses returned due to insufficient e-mail addresses.)