I remember getting my haircut at a little salon in Waterford a few years back. It was a much-needed break from the daily crazy that homeschooling can bring. As I was leaving the salon and walking through the parking lot, I spotted a sunflower growing right up out of the crack in the concrete. It was a curious wonder right before my eyes. It made me marvel at our Creator, who can cause beautiful things to grow in hard concrete. It also made me think about how beautiful things can grow from a small divide in a crack between the driveway and foundation. I wondered how deep the roots needed to stretch to get water for this flower to bloom right there in the concrete. After all, I am a homeschool mom, and we always think about object lessons and science. <Insert smile>
We live in uncertain days, and the way that little sunflower made me take notice reminds me that even in the hard times, the divisions, the cracks and the uncertainties, God is still King and is creating beauty in it all. As a mom, I often ask the Lord, how am I supposed to encourage my kids when their world is constantly changing? They face disappointment from not being able to play sports or go to art class, lockdowns, differences in options regarding handling all of the most current protocols, questions about our Canadian democracy, and the war in Ukraine. Some of these things may seem minor, and others quite major. Still, in it all, if we are honest, we have all had to sort through these changing times in the small concerns and big ones too, and so do our kids.
The Lord has been so gracious to allow us to come boldly to His throne of grace in our time of need. He is our firm foundation. Colossians 1:15-20 has been a source of encouragement:
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
Colossians 1:15-20
We learn a few things about who Jesus is in these verses:
- He is the firstborn of creation, which means He was at the beginning of time
- He created all things, visible and invisible, all the thrones and rulers and kings
- All things were created for Him
- He holds it all together!
- He is not only the head of creation, the kings and rulers but also of the church
- He is our Saviour through the blood of his death on the cross.
What a comfort it is to know that Jesus is ruler over all, that He holds all things together, and He has saved us! This means that this world we live in is not our home. Jesus is preparing a place for us in heaven. In light of these verses, how should we live in Canada as home school moms in uncertain times? I think that we are called to action.
First, we are called to keep our eyes on the Lord, and we are to seek Him through His word and in prayer. We need to remind ourselves of Col. 1:17, He is before all things, and IN HIM, all things hold together.
We need to remind ourselves that God is King. Rev. 4:9 says that he is seated on His throne. He is not pacing back and forth in heaven wondering and worrying about what is going on in the world; no, He is sitting on His throne, perfectly in control of all things, holding it all together in His sovereign will. So we need to keep looking up.
Second, we have to be faithful in what God has called us to do. For those of us embarking on the adventure of home education, this calling includes homeschooling, among other things. Each day we can faithfully serve our families and homeschool our children diligently. We have an opportunity to disciple our kids. As parents, we model to our kids what following Jesus looks likes. They will see that we are imperfect people who sin and make mistakes every day, but they will also see how we handle our imperfections. Either our children will see us as parents who pretend to be something that we are not, or they will see us as parents who walk in the grace and mercy of the Lord. Through our imperfections, we can point them to the cross. We can show them how to turn away from sin and how to turn to the Lord. It’s good to let our kids see our walk with the Lord. We also need to remind ourselves of who we are in Christ. We are redeemed, and we are children of the Most High King.
We can also encourage our kids to memorize scripture, pray for other nations, study history, and learn about Canadian politics. The list goes on and on. When they are struggling, we can point them to verses like Phil 4:4-7, by everything in prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace that passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. We have daily opportunities to share the hope of the gospel with our kids. Homeschooling is a privilege that we can’t take for granted. There are countries around the world that have banned homeschooling, and so even though the days can be long and the times are uncertain, we need to thank the Lord for the opportunity we have to teach our children.
God is making all things beautiful in His time. If we look, we see his beauty all around us. We take time to wonder and marvel at sunflowers that grow in divided concrete. We see God at work in our homeschools. We see how God shapes our kids’ hearts and minds, and we see God as ruler and King. He is our hope and strength in unsettling times. So, let’s keep our eyes up, pray continually, praise Him for flowers that grow in concrete and thank the Lord for His sovereign reign.
Susanne is a child of God, wife, mother, mother in law and entrepreneur. She started Cabin7 under the encouragement of her sister-in-law and it provided support in the ever-growing financial needs of her large family. God has grown her business and she is so thankful to God for allowing her the opportunity to work from home and the opportunity to home educate her children. Along the way she has been reminded that babies, children and life are truly a gift from the Lord. You can follow Cabin7 on Facebook and Instagram.