Obedience is Beneath the Ground

So around this time of the year, school gets more difficult for mostly everyone... I think that is why teachers and homeschoolers always seem a bit fried when you see them in March and April. We're just plum tired. 

Can I just offer a word of encouragement? 

What you do daily is changing the world. 

You have chosen the harder route, the less traveled road, and sacrificed so much time and energy to teach. You have given up the much needed pedicures, the multiple lunch dates with friends, the trip to the grocery store (alone,) the gym class workouts, the cleanest house on the block award, the hours of "me time," catching up with your friends and family daily, watching TV shows during the day, accolades from a job that pays you, and so much more.

All of you need to hear this, no matter what they didn't learn, repeat, do, or complete- we have given it our all. And beneath the ground, just like the picture, in our child's heart- there is so much more than meets the eye.

If we look a little closer, you might see how your children love you, have bonded with you, how they love to play together now, how they are not bullied, teased, or harrassed- you can see a more confident, more loving child not because of what the world has taught them, but what you have taught them.

So I pray when those rough patches hit commonly known as "spring fever" that you would see this year was not as a waste- but rather most of all-

your obedience to His call. 

I pray you would feel freedom to obey whatever you are being asked for next year and not tell yourself that the results should be the largest factor for you to continue. 

His peace and direction should be your guide.

After all, this is the time, when sending them off to school seems so much easier than planning yet another week of middle school curriculum for your 5, 7 , 9 year olds. :)

Since my son started this program at 4, he has a certain pollyanna view of school. I haven't tried to change his view as I'm not sure when we will put him in "school"- and I want him to be excited whenever that day comes. 

But recently my heart sinks when I hear him talk about "school" as if he has disliked being home schooled. Whether I'm just tired or not, I do question, I do wonder, which he would have loved more. 

Then I remind myself, it was a choice to be obedient to God this year- and that doesn't always have it's blue ribbon. 

So I pray you would feel encouraged today and know your work is not unnoticed by the One who made the oceans and the seas. Your love and willingness to learn more in order to offer up your best is looked upon as good from the One who claims YOU as His beloved.

I once had a counselor tell me that I only needed to focus on pleasing God, and then I would be seen as I should be to others.

So true. So true.

Did any of you need to hear that? Or was it just me? Either way, I pray that you would hear Him whisper your name this day and know His path He has set out for you.

So in that same vein I want to let you know, I did what I challenged so many of you to do. I asked my CC community director if I could try to raise awareness for the water in Africa. And she said yes. 

YEAH!!! She was so sweet especially since we had a fundraiser the following week.

She suggested that I ask the kids to work that week for a special allowance that will go towards Compassion. Our community is small and in it's first year- and guess how much we raised in one week? $287.42! Can you believe that? Just allowance money.

I couldn't have imagined it! 

I stood on top of the stage and told them, "We have changed the world for three and a half families!" Was it a hundred? No. 

Was it important as to how many? No. 

All that mattered to me was that they saw how easy sacrifice can be for us and how much we can do with just loose change. 

The next two weekends I'm showing my church of 1,500 people the two videos I posted in the lesson plans. Will you please join me in prayer that "we change the world" again?

If you feel like you could help raise awareness then please email me and I would love to call you and chat with you on the phone about it. I'd love to hear what you think God is asking you to do and I would love to help you quietly obey His call once again. But most of all I'd love to pray with you and thank God for you.

For we can collectively teach our children so much more about compassion by the way we love the poor. 

Please, please pray I don't mess up and offend some dear saint in the church, or I don't say some fact wrong, please pray that their hearts are softened and their ears may hear God calling them to give of their abundance- please pray that all this happens in the three minutes I have to speak. 

Now- that alone will be a miracle because you can tell by my blog- I'm a little long winded. :)

Please pray that our children will learn not just from our words but from our examples. 

For that is how I was won for Christ at such a young age. 

Blessings to you all,

Crecia