"God's will is exactly what I would choose, if I knew what God knows" (unknown).
It is good to realise that God is always at work in situations in our lives if we trust in Him!
I have been pondering and perhaps even struggling a lot recently in my mind and heart regarding God showing us His plan and revealing His will for our lives as believers.... and so, as I quite often do, I looked up the 'Revive Our Hearts' website and happened upon this Biblical advice. Just when I needed it!
Well, what happens when we seek His will time and time again, and perhaps years later there are still no answers?
Nancy Leigh DeMoss gives this reply:-
When we come into these circumstances, we can lift our eyes up and say, "God, I don't see. I don't understand. I can't comprehend how this could possibly turn out for good, how this could bring You glory.
"But I trust that You know and that You are at work in this child's life, in this husband's life or this parent's life or this situation. You are fulfilling eternal purposes. I surrender myself with thanksgiving to those purposes.
By the way, faith and praise go hand-in-hand. The ability to praise is based on trust that God knows what He is doing.
John Wesley said that our task is to give the world the right impression of God.
The way that we respond to our circumstances, whether it is cancer, car wrecks or wayward children or as Elisabeth Elliot has said: "Suffering can be anything from traffic jams to taxes to tumors and everything in-between."
The way that we respond in those circumstances is always giving those around us an opinion of God. We can give the world a right opinion of God if we will receive those circumstances and give thanks.
That's why we are reading Psalm 50:23 where it says that the one who offers thanksgiving as a sacrifice glorifies God. We give thanks in circumstances where the world can't imagine giving thanks.
What do we do? We give the world a right opinion of God. We glorify Him. Ultimately, that is what it is all about. That's why we live. That's why we exist. We were created to bring Him glory. That's how we do it.
We would all say, "I want my life to bring glory to God." But that's how we do it. It's in the nitty-gritty everyday life. It's major and minor trauma and upsets in every circumstance and situation.
The way that we're responding is either bringing glory to God or it's giving the impression that God is not a good God. He has fallen down on His job. He's not come through.
We don't want to give the world a bad opinion of God. That's why we need to praise, to be thankful people and to smile. (Even when it's the last thing we feel like doing.)
I think that if anyone knows how to smile, it ought to be Christians even in circumstances of life where it's a challenge to smile, to reflect a heart (and I'm not talking about being giddy, always laughing and always being light-hearted). (Although I believe it's beneficial to pour our hearts out to God, and even to seek His face in a passionate plea for answers and help.)
There are circumstances and seasons of life that some of you are walking through right now where there is no way that you could be light-hearted and you shouldn't be. But there can still be joy. There can always, always, always be praise. Always!
Thank You, Lord, for the opportunities that You give us to trust You, to wait on You, to look to You, to give the world a right opinion of You.
Help us to do that today in the circumstances that we know about and in the circumstances that are going to happen that we don't yet know about.
May it become our instinctive super-natural reaction, by Your grace, to give thanks in everything that You may be glorified. "
Oh, I can see this is going to be hard,... hard and perhaps, if I tried to do it on my own, impossible! But I can see that I must if I am to be accepting, walking in truth and always trusting that His ways are perfectly patterned out!
How can we glorify Him and be a shining light in this dark place? Give thanks in everything, leaning upon His guidance, accepting His ways are not our ways, even when the circumstances seem beyond our comprehension. May we always look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
Friday 18 September 2009
Wednesday 16 September 2009
It's been a while...
Since I last posted, but just a quick update on what we are upto!
I am now homeschooling Bethan (10), Jacob (almost 8) and Cameron (almost 5). It's been a big decision, but not one I have regretted....I don't think....yet!! It has manufactured more of a life-style change than I thought it would, but really that is all it has been. Just a change. I do things at different times; I tend to do all my ironing and putting away of ironing and cleaning on one day, which allows me to get on with homeschooling during the week, wheras before I would have tiddled about doing bits and bobs throughout the week, and I actually think I like the change! Occasionally we take a day off, too! (This would be alien to people who send their kids to a school, and I previously thought it was sooo wrong to do so, but when the children have learned or completed as much work as they would have done during the week at school in 3 days, I really don't have any issues with a day off.)
I don't want to be known as Naomi, the homeschooling Mum! I am primarily a servant of Christ, a wife and a mother, and it just so happens that I home-educate my kids! Yes, I do appreciate the extra time I get to be with them, and hopefully this has yielded some teachable moments, but it has also revealed some areas where I must improve my attitudes if I am to influence them in Godliness, and the fear of the Lord. I am under absolutely no illusions that this new life-style will cause them to become converted; only the Holy Spirit can convict them of sin and their need of a Saviour, and it pains me when families who home-educate believe that their children will come to Christ because of their 24/7 influence.
I do appreciate it, though when people encourage me as I go about it. It is after all part of what I do as a Mother and when it encompasses the majority of each week, it can be difficult not to talk about it sometimes. I try not to make it a point of conversation with friends, but it CAN be a lonely task, especially when people think you are totally nuts (or even just a bit mad)! I can see why 'home-schoolers' group together and form friendships and allegiances via websites, and these are good things (sometimes), but must never replace our fellowship with other church members and believers.
On those lonely days, (which thankfully have been few, because I have been engrossed in what the children are doing) I have found my strength to be in Christ. Yes, there have been days where I've fallen to my knees in prayer and said "Lord, I can't do this" (generally when I am feeling under the weather), but He has always been my rock, my dearest ever-present friend and guide. It was, after all, His will we sought in teaching our kids ourselves, and he continues to sustain, and especially to guide! I am so grateful for this, as I definitely could not do it upon any strength of my own. I have tried that and failed!!
So at present, our days are looking something like this:-
9.00am - Family time. I read to them from the scriptures or from J.C Ryles stories for children
9.30am - Spellings from Prim-Ed Workbookds (these are absolutely fantastic and so cheap to buy!)
10.00 - Maths or English for Bethan and Jacob. I help them for a while then go and do phonics using Hooked on Phonics which I bagged for a very reasonable £6.99 with Cameron.
10.45 - Break time
11.00/ 11.15 - English or Maths for B and J. Cameron has some computer time on Starfall or does his reading with me during this time or else we do his written work too. (Using Rod and Staff pre-school series at present, which is plenty for him)
12.00 - Handwriting or reading for Bethan and Jacob. Educational games with Cameron. (Sequencing/sorting/matching/naming/time games)
12.30 - Lunch
1.30pm - FIAR or Science/History/Geography and Art. This is a literacy-based unit study, where I read them a book and then they all research it at varying levels, according to their capability. At present we are studying China, Rivers, Ducks, Classic Literature, events and people in 1933. What they learn, they produce in the form of a lapbook, which they are just loving, and I must admit I'm finding it really enjoyable too!
2.30 - We are generally finished and sometimess the kids participate in chores....but we are still working on that!!
3.30pm - Music time and making dinner time/clearing up time!
On Mondays and Tuesdays, I teach piano, so dinner has to be made first thing in the am, or we just eat something really simple for tea or which requires little preparation!
So, that's it in a nutshell at the moment. I've just been trying to let our days evolve for a while rather than laying down set time-rules, which has worked quite well.
All for now!
I am now homeschooling Bethan (10), Jacob (almost 8) and Cameron (almost 5). It's been a big decision, but not one I have regretted....I don't think....yet!! It has manufactured more of a life-style change than I thought it would, but really that is all it has been. Just a change. I do things at different times; I tend to do all my ironing and putting away of ironing and cleaning on one day, which allows me to get on with homeschooling during the week, wheras before I would have tiddled about doing bits and bobs throughout the week, and I actually think I like the change! Occasionally we take a day off, too! (This would be alien to people who send their kids to a school, and I previously thought it was sooo wrong to do so, but when the children have learned or completed as much work as they would have done during the week at school in 3 days, I really don't have any issues with a day off.)
I don't want to be known as Naomi, the homeschooling Mum! I am primarily a servant of Christ, a wife and a mother, and it just so happens that I home-educate my kids! Yes, I do appreciate the extra time I get to be with them, and hopefully this has yielded some teachable moments, but it has also revealed some areas where I must improve my attitudes if I am to influence them in Godliness, and the fear of the Lord. I am under absolutely no illusions that this new life-style will cause them to become converted; only the Holy Spirit can convict them of sin and their need of a Saviour, and it pains me when families who home-educate believe that their children will come to Christ because of their 24/7 influence.
I do appreciate it, though when people encourage me as I go about it. It is after all part of what I do as a Mother and when it encompasses the majority of each week, it can be difficult not to talk about it sometimes. I try not to make it a point of conversation with friends, but it CAN be a lonely task, especially when people think you are totally nuts (or even just a bit mad)! I can see why 'home-schoolers' group together and form friendships and allegiances via websites, and these are good things (sometimes), but must never replace our fellowship with other church members and believers.
On those lonely days, (which thankfully have been few, because I have been engrossed in what the children are doing) I have found my strength to be in Christ. Yes, there have been days where I've fallen to my knees in prayer and said "Lord, I can't do this" (generally when I am feeling under the weather), but He has always been my rock, my dearest ever-present friend and guide. It was, after all, His will we sought in teaching our kids ourselves, and he continues to sustain, and especially to guide! I am so grateful for this, as I definitely could not do it upon any strength of my own. I have tried that and failed!!
So at present, our days are looking something like this:-
9.00am - Family time. I read to them from the scriptures or from J.C Ryles stories for children
9.30am - Spellings from Prim-Ed Workbookds (these are absolutely fantastic and so cheap to buy!)
10.00 - Maths or English for Bethan and Jacob. I help them for a while then go and do phonics using Hooked on Phonics which I bagged for a very reasonable £6.99 with Cameron.
10.45 - Break time
11.00/ 11.15 - English or Maths for B and J. Cameron has some computer time on Starfall or does his reading with me during this time or else we do his written work too. (Using Rod and Staff pre-school series at present, which is plenty for him)
12.00 - Handwriting or reading for Bethan and Jacob. Educational games with Cameron. (Sequencing/sorting/matching/naming/time games)
12.30 - Lunch
1.30pm - FIAR or Science/History/Geography and Art. This is a literacy-based unit study, where I read them a book and then they all research it at varying levels, according to their capability. At present we are studying China, Rivers, Ducks, Classic Literature, events and people in 1933. What they learn, they produce in the form of a lapbook, which they are just loving, and I must admit I'm finding it really enjoyable too!
2.30 - We are generally finished and sometimess the kids participate in chores....but we are still working on that!!
3.30pm - Music time and making dinner time/clearing up time!
On Mondays and Tuesdays, I teach piano, so dinner has to be made first thing in the am, or we just eat something really simple for tea or which requires little preparation!
So, that's it in a nutshell at the moment. I've just been trying to let our days evolve for a while rather than laying down set time-rules, which has worked quite well.
All for now!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
