"Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always." Psalm 105:4
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Thank you all for your prayers for the HEAV convention. The whole experience was, well, incredible. God visibly carried us through the whole event, taking care of each and every detail in miraculous ways (the thought below shares a little of what happened).
We'd appreciate your continued prayers for us this summer. I've started working on a biblical math curriculum supplement as well as a new kind of devotional/history book on Abigail Adams. Please pray for all the related details that go into the final product such as an illustrator, editor, graphic artist, and especially the strength and wisdom to get it done.
Also, if you are interested in having our family share at your homeschool group, please let us know.
May you all have a blessed summer delighting in the Lord and what He's given you to do each day!
His child,
Katherine Loop
P.S. We've also been working hard on our website lately and plan to continue adding things over the next few weeks. We'd like to hear thoughts from any of you on other things (articles, information, etc.) that you would like to see online. Below are a few of the new items you will find:
We added a "Mothers Wanted" article and some scripture verses to our homeschooling page. www.christianperspective.net/homeschool.html
We also made Beyond Numbers (a guidebook I wrote for parents on vie
wing
and teaching math biblically) available as an eBook You can read more about it on
www.christianperspective.net/math.htm
While you are there, check out our math section
(www.christianperspective.net/mathhome.htm)
dedicated to helping parents teach math biblically.
One night I was lying in our hotel room unable to sleep. I pulled the sheet a little closer, wishing that I'd thought to call housekeeping for a blanket.
A rattling at the door startled me. Who could that be? We'd already been in bed for hours. It sounded like someone was trying to break into the room.
My mom went to investigate. She returned a moment later and explained that the ruckus was housekeeping insisting we had ordered a blanket! Though I'd not mentioned my wish for a blanket to anyone, God had miraculously taken care of it for me. Feeling like a little princess of heaven, I snuggled under the blanket, reminded once again that God was watching over every detail of my life.
The next evening, my mom and I were supposed to attend a special dinner together. However, when we arrived at the room we'd been told the dinner would be in, we found the door locked. My mom was content to go back to our room and call it an evening, but I instantly began to panic. How would we ever find the dinner?
The remembrance of the previous night checked my panicked thoughts. Had I so quickly forgotten that God knew about each detail of my life? This locked door hadn't surprised God. Whether we made it to the dinner or not, I could rest in the knowledge that my heavenly Father was in charge.
On our way back to our room we providentially got on an elevator heading the wrong direction and found ourselves miraculously escorted to the dinner, and this time the door was open.
Many times things don't go the way we've planned. Traffic makes us late to an appointment. People disappoint us or treat us wrongly. Our schedule gets rearranged.
Yet no matter what the apparent cause of our wrecked plans, we can rest in knowing that God knows about everything that is happening in our lives, down to things like blankets in hotel rooms. Not one tiny detail escapes His notice. And He never makes a mistake.
The next time you are tempted to panic or complain at a change in your plans, remember that your Heavenly Father, not the circumstances or people around you, is the One truly in charge. You have no cause to worry.
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? Luke 12:22b-26
Anna looked longingly at the dolls in the store window. They were just like the doll that her friend had. Oh, if only she could have one of those dolls! Anna could picture how much fun she would have playing with her doll. She would dress it and care for it as tenderly as a mother cares for her child.
That night at dinner, Anna was uncharacteristically silent. Although her father tried several times to get her attention, Anna's mind was completely preoccupied with the dolls she had seen.
Normally Anna and her father would spend time together after dinner. Those evenings with her father were usually the highlight of Anna's day. But this evening, nothing seemed like any fun. Although she tried to talk with her father, Anna's mind kept wandering to the dolls.
"Father, can I have one of the dolls in Tonim's shop window?" she finally got the courage to ask.
Her father lovingly drew her toward him as he replied, "My darling daughter, a doll isn't really what you need right now. I want you to trust me to bring you what you really need."
Anna sighed. She certainly felt like she needed a doll! But she knew that she could trust her father. "Okay, Daddy," she whispered, "I'll trust you." Trusting her father, Anna skipped off to bed, lighthearted once again.
The next day, however, she went over to play with her friend, and, of course, her friend wouldn't stop playing with and talking about the doll she had. Anna could hardly stand it. She seemed to have forgotten all about her father's promise to provide what she truly needed. It seemed at the time that nothing but a doll could ever make her happy.
Instead of singing through her afternoon tasks, Anna mechanically moved through the day. Her life felt so miserable and empty. Every once in a while she would remember her father's promise, and a smile would flit quickly across her face. But what if her father forgot about his promise to provide what she needed? Or what if, when her father went to buy her a doll, they were all gone? That thought tormented her. Had she been a little wiser or older, she might have realized that the doll she thought would bring her happiness was really causing her to be unhappy.
Time passed by in this manner. Anna and her father hardly saw each other any more. It wasn't that Anna was purposefully avoiding him, but she just didn't seem to have room for any other thoughts besides the one thought that had consumed all her energy-getting one of those dolls. Many times she thought of how she might purchase a doll herself, but her genuine love for her father and her good upbringing prevented her from going against her father's wishes.
Finally, Anna could not stand her misery any longer. She simply had to talk with her father again. "Daddy, I really want a doll," she confessed.
"I know."
"You do?" Anna looked up in surprise. She thought for sure that her father had forgotten all about the doll. After all, he had so many other more important matters to handle.
"Of course I do. I've never forgotten my promise to bring you what you need, not even for a moment. And I've known all about your struggle, too. I've been waiting for you to talk with me."
Anna hung her head. Oh, why had she believed that her father didn't care!
Anna's father drew her lovingly onto his lap. "Anna, I want you to understand that the doll you long for, while it is such a nice, lovely thing, can't bring you happiness. Can't you see how it's already taken away your happiness? You will find true joy, not in a doll, but in delighting in the tasks before you each day. And I promise you that I will never, ever forget about you. Will you trust me to give you what you need each day?"
Anna nodded as she squeezed her father tightly. She would trust him. She went to bed that night with a lighter heart than she had for a long time.
The next morning, however, she awoke thinking about one of the dolls at the store. She had to work hard all day to check her thoughts and remind herself to trust her father and simply delight in what she'd been given. Gradually, Anna began to forget about her desire for a doll. She began to enjoy her daily tasks again. Her old smile returned. Best of all, she and her father were spending precious time together again.
As Anna grew to know her father better, she realized that, whether he ever gave her a doll or not, she could trust him. She discovered that true joy comes, not from getting what she wanted, but from complete surrender and delight in her father's wishes.
"Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD and delight in his salvation." Psalm 35:9
Note: We recently posted a "want ad" for Godly mothers on our website. It will make you smile and hopefully help you remember that motherhood is important. http://www.christianperspective.net/motherswanted.htm
--By Cris Loop
After I had been homeschooling my children for a few years, I was challenged to really "lay my life down" and submit myself completely to Lord with no expectations--to take God fully at His Word and trust Him with my life and the lives of my children. At the time, I thought I had done this already. After all, I was already homeschooling!
I had to discover that laying down my life and trusting God is NOT a one time thing. Beginning to homeschool is just one step in an ongoing process that changes how we live. You see, parents, we are being "homeschooled" too!
God has ever so much He wants to teach us. He wants to change us from the inside out. How? Through His Word.
After being challenged to really "lay down my life" each day, I began to question why and how we were doing things. I began taking decisions to the Word of God to see what it really had to say. As I did, God's truth began to work on me from the inside out. I began trusting God for my sanctification instead of relying on my own efforts/understanding, or even on how I'd lived the day before. My children got to see me mess up all over the place, but they got to see that God and His Word, not mom, was perfect and the basis for our lives.
Our children don't need perfect parents. In fact, if we're claiming to be perfect in their eyes, then we're failing. Our children need parents who are laying down their lives and allowing the Word of God to change them.
Here are some questions for you to think about this month:
If you feel like you're failing in any of the above areas, take heart. While it is not always easy to start afresh because coming before God requires us to be honest, and pride can easily get in the way, God is waiting for you. He wants to extend His forgiveness to you.
Remember that being changed by the Word of God is a lifelong process for us moms too. In a way, we are all still being "homeschooled"! Whether you've been homeschooling for years or are just beginning, begin anew today to let God's Word change you.
Lord, you know my every thought.
You know my needs, and my desires.
You are over everything that touches me--
This your Word has me taught.
How foolish I am to worry!
How foolish to complain or fret!
For you have everything in your hands
And you are writing my life's story.
Help me to constantly make you my delight,
Teach me to trust you in every situation.
Though things go against my plans,
Help me to walk by faith and not by sight.