Investment and Reward

The Campbell family is the new owner of a yellow lab puppy, named Daisy. Those of you who have experienced training a dog from early puppy-hood are thinking, "Is she nuts?" I'll answer that question for you: yes. Or, maybe the answer is I'm going nuts. I love to get uninterrupted sleep, and I have not been doing that since Saturday night. I feel nuts when I am fatigued.

I made the comment to my husband the other evening that the investment (in this dog) isn't worth the reward (Kyla's joy, well-trained dog later). He didn't respond to that comment, although scriptures about dripping faucets were going through my mind.

As much as I hate to admit it, this puppy is good for our family. I've replayed that comment that I made over and over again in my mind. And, what a selfish comment it is. Nothing that takes time, effort, blood, sweat, tears--and steals your sleep--seems like it is going to be worth it at the time, whatever the ultimate goal. When your flesh wants its own way, it dearly hates to be inconvenienced.

Homeschooling is one of those things that can cause you to think, on occasion, "Is the investment really worth the reward?" Or maybe, "Will the reward be worth the investment?" This is especially true when you are going over the same math concept for the umpteenth time, or struggling to plan lessons for science and history for all your kids collectively to save time so you won't have to clone yourself to get things done during the day. It basically boils down to your sinful flesh screaming about inconvenience. Your "life" isn't going the way you planned.

Maybe you never saw yourself as a homeschooler (I never saw myself as a mother, let alone a homeschooling mom), so the endless days of required patience that is needed to diligently instruct your child(ren) in the ways of the Lord, while interweaving reading, writing, math, science and social studies, can make you want to scream, "Is this really worth it?"

Regardless of the outcome of your child--who from said child's behavior, you know has a free will and can choose to go their own way instead of God's--the investment is worth the reward.

All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness," (Hebrews 12:11 NASB).

God has set before us an incredible task: Not just to care for and train our children, ever pointing them in His direction, but for us to grow more Christ-like as He sanctifies us through daily living the life He has called us to live, saturated with His grace.

When your children are with you 24/7, the opportunities for life-lessons abound. I have a huge one before me right now--a lesson in patient endurance, with the goal being not to whine about the road on the way. God is showing me more each day how He is shaping me into the image of Christ through homeschooling my children.

Some days will be harder than others, but all of them count toward the ultimate goal of running the race and getting to the end. Keep your eyes on Jesus as you start the new year, and you will do great!