Faithful in the Present
"Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful." I Cor. 4:2
I saw it coming and there was nothing I could do. I had dropped hints and offered words of caution, but her enthusiasm and drive to be involved in this and that was so high, that she could not see the pitfalls.
Slowly I watched as she said,"yes" to this ministry and that outreach, to these calls for assistance and those needs for involvement. As she gradually joined church groups and community services, I had to wonder how she could "do it all" and still homeschool.
Unfortunately, it didn't take long for my question to be answered. When she crashed, she fell hard. And her family suffered for it.
This young mother fell prey to one of Satan's greatest destructive forces against homeschooling. It is a battle that is raged in the mind, one that seeks to demean the significance of homeschooling. If Satan can get a mother to think that she is "just a home-educator", then he has succeeded in belittling a great movement of the Lord in the War for the Family. Making a woman think that she needs to step outside of the home in order to be fulfilled is a lie that many sadly believe.
Homeschooling mothers are called not just to the ministry of mothering, but, to an extension of that ministry in heeding God's prompting to "keep their children home". Mothering, in itself, is a full time job. Cooking, cleaning, and maintaining a home are daily responsibilities. Caring for children's emotional, physical, and spiritual needs require 24-hour diligence.
Add homeschooling to an already demanding schedule and you have one busy lifestyle. And that is what raising children and home-educating is. It is a lifestyle. It is also a quickly passing lifestyle with many opportunities to impact the next generation for Christ that, in turn, will have far-reaching effect.
As stewards of our children, God desires us to be faithful in this season of life - faithful in the responsibility to raise that which He has entrusted to us. If outside pursuits, or the beckonings of others, threaten to pull us away from our number one calling, then it is not of God.
"God expects His stewards to be faithful in their responsibilities, not fruitful" (Defenders Bible). The fruitfulness of our life belongs to the Lord. If we strive for fruitfulness outside of the home before God's timing, we are stepping out of the realms of our immediate ministry and will not have God's blessings.
Serving outside the home, whether it be church related or community, while still raising children, needs to be prayerfully considered. Both husband and wife should be unified in the decision, guarding against overcommitment.
"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens" (Ecc. 3:1).
Homeschooling mother, don't miss out on the blessings of your current season by taking on the responsibilities of the next. That time will come soon enough. You can always rush forward, but you can never step back.
Prayer: Lord, it is so easy to want to rush ahead to the future in thinking that I am not doing enough for You now. Help me to maintain my focus on the present, so as not to miss out on its blessings.
