Seeds

Last Sunday before entering Holy Week, I felt lead to take a break from our regular curriculum with the boys homeschool, and focus on the Lord. 

When George was entering Kindergarten, I had enrolled him in public school, and a few weeks leading up to the first day, I had a nudge that I was supposed to homeschool him. Coming from a family of non-homeschoolers both for my husband and I, homeschooling sounded like a crazy idea. I remember telling the Lord, “If you really want me to do this, You have to make it so clear.”  By the end of that week, I had a crate of kindergarten curriculum, supplies, an adorable little desk with an alphabet sticker lining the top, and a book on how to do it all sitting in my living room. Everything was given to me completely free, only by God’s divine intervention. With fear I said, “okay Lord, I will do this.” Fast-forward, now my boys are 10 and 7 and I am still homeschooling them. 

I find myself not wanting to get behind with their studies, in response, I leave little room for God teaching. I leave little room for worshiping and studying the word, and this week the Lord had spoken to my heart, and I was inspired. I had such great expectations! I thought, after this week, my boys will be kinder, maybe even share their things with each other. I was propelled to leap into a week full of fruitfulness and Jesus centered days. We read several chapters in the book of John, we worshiped, we painted pictures of Heaven, we danced, we wrote letters to friends and God. We had great discussions and even one morning, I had both boys sitting on my lap and as I prayed over them, we all felt the presence of God and cried a little.

The week was going well, but as we approached Thursday, I found that my boys were getting more defiant, they didn’t feel up for worshipping, and they were getting bord. At one moment it was like a thunderbolt struck down into our classroom and everyone was upset and being angry and restless. I walked up the stairs to take a mama time-out and said, “God, we are studying about you, worshipping you, and I just thought this would look a little different!”  After I had my little moment, I went back to my boys, we prayed and things settled down, but I was still a bit discouraged. 

On Friday we watched a video clip of Jesus hanging on the cross and my husband and I had tears rolling down our face, but the boys just stared and kept asking questions. My husband said, “you will understand someday.” My husband reminded me in that moment, I can’t force a relationship with God on my children, but what I can do is plant the seeds. I can show them the way to the Father, and they will find Him by His leading, His calling and His Spirit. 

This last week was beautiful. Even if we had bumps in the road, even if I did not see sudden fruit, instant gratification and joy permeating our home, I know the seeds were planted. There is power in the sowing of seeds into our children, there is fruit as we lead them to Him. God is the Master Gardener, and we are His garden assistants. With His guidance and leading, we can assist with the pruning, the watering, and the sunning, but ultimately, He is the one who makes the flowers turn into something glorious and beautiful! Be encouraged as a parent if you haven’t seen enough blossoms, for I believe they will come as the good seeds are sowed. Whether you are a homeschool mom or your kids go to another school, it doesn’t matter! What matters is that we keep showing our kids Jesus, leading them to Him and His great love. Keep planting, keep loving, and keep drawing them closer to the Father. I believe this next generation will be powerhouses for the kingdom of God! His word says, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11.

 Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well. Ecclesiastes 11:6

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. James 5:7

“I don’t think the way you think. The way you work isn’t the way I work.” God’s Decree. “For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think. Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth, Doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry, So will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They’ll do the work I sent them to do, they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.” (The Message, Isaiah 55:11)