Hard Things - Discipline
When I first thought about ideas for 31 days of blogging, I wanted to write on the topic of "The hardest thing about homeschooling" However, when I went to decide what the most difficult part of homeschooling was, I was stymied. There are so many hard things! That is why I decided to write a series on the challenges of homeschooling. Welcome to the first installment in the "Hard Things" series.
"He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls"
Proverbs 25:28
Have you ever heard that saying, "Monkey see, monkey do." Well, it's a pretty good summation of life with children. The first time I heard my child reprimanding their sibling in a terribly demeaning and annoying way, I went to stop them only to realize they were just imitating me. If you have heard your two year old yell,"crap" (or worse) when they drop something, you know what I'm talking about. Kids are like little sponges, absorbing both the good and the bad from their surroundings. This is perhaps the single most terrifying thing about homeschooling.
I am not by nature a disciplined person. I grew up, effectively, as an only child because my siblings are over a decade older than I am. I can't remember ever having a chore - except to occasionally clean my room. I was allowed to sleep in as long as I wanted. TV consumption was not rationed. A disciplined life was not forced on me and I didn't pursue one.
This year, practicing the art of humble submission, I asked my husband if he might have any wisdom for our home school. He thought for a moment and said, "Well, when we were doing school, we got up early, got dressed and ready for the day, made our beds and got to work around the kitchen table. There was none of this lounging around in our pj's all day, or sprawling out on the couch in blankets, trying to do math."
Ouch. That hurt. It's just like him to level my whole way of life in a few simple sentences. But he was right and I knew it. Holy Spirit backed him up on this one.
Part of what I love about homeschooling is that you can stay in your pjs all day. You can study on the couch. It's great! But the truth is that there is something to be said for grabbing the day by the horns. Holy Spirit, in his infinite humor, made things even worse when I talked to him about it. He said I should get up early in the morning and exercise. Can you believe it!? He's got quite the nerve.
The truth is it's not really important weather we get up at a certain time, or perform our daily tasks in a particular manner (unless Holy Spirit tells us to). What is important is that we model self-discipline for our children and teach them what it means for them to rule over their own spirit. If we can't do that then we are like a city whose walls are broken down.
A city with no walls has no way of protecting whats valuable, no way of making a distinction between what should be inside and what should be out. It can be easily plundered. It's chaotic. That is not what God has for us.
Its a good thing self-control is a fruit of the spirit. The more we allow Holy Spirit to work in us, the more he can grow his life-giving fruit. It may require some painful pruning, but the results are always worth the price.
"He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls"
Proverbs 25:28
Have you ever heard that saying, "Monkey see, monkey do." Well, it's a pretty good summation of life with children. The first time I heard my child reprimanding their sibling in a terribly demeaning and annoying way, I went to stop them only to realize they were just imitating me. If you have heard your two year old yell,"crap" (or worse) when they drop something, you know what I'm talking about. Kids are like little sponges, absorbing both the good and the bad from their surroundings. This is perhaps the single most terrifying thing about homeschooling.
I am not by nature a disciplined person. I grew up, effectively, as an only child because my siblings are over a decade older than I am. I can't remember ever having a chore - except to occasionally clean my room. I was allowed to sleep in as long as I wanted. TV consumption was not rationed. A disciplined life was not forced on me and I didn't pursue one.
This year, practicing the art of humble submission, I asked my husband if he might have any wisdom for our home school. He thought for a moment and said, "Well, when we were doing school, we got up early, got dressed and ready for the day, made our beds and got to work around the kitchen table. There was none of this lounging around in our pj's all day, or sprawling out on the couch in blankets, trying to do math."
Ouch. That hurt. It's just like him to level my whole way of life in a few simple sentences. But he was right and I knew it. Holy Spirit backed him up on this one.
Part of what I love about homeschooling is that you can stay in your pjs all day. You can study on the couch. It's great! But the truth is that there is something to be said for grabbing the day by the horns. Holy Spirit, in his infinite humor, made things even worse when I talked to him about it. He said I should get up early in the morning and exercise. Can you believe it!? He's got quite the nerve.
The truth is it's not really important weather we get up at a certain time, or perform our daily tasks in a particular manner (unless Holy Spirit tells us to). What is important is that we model self-discipline for our children and teach them what it means for them to rule over their own spirit. If we can't do that then we are like a city whose walls are broken down.
A city with no walls has no way of protecting whats valuable, no way of making a distinction between what should be inside and what should be out. It can be easily plundered. It's chaotic. That is not what God has for us.
Its a good thing self-control is a fruit of the spirit. The more we allow Holy Spirit to work in us, the more he can grow his life-giving fruit. It may require some painful pruning, but the results are always worth the price.
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