This will probably be a shorter post than most because I am currently busy preparing for our 17th year of homeschooling. Even though I have been doing this for many years, I still get a bit anxious at the beginning of every school year. Will I be able to meet the educational needs of each child? Have I chosen the curriculum for each of them that suits their learning style best? Is each child registered for enough extra curricular activities? And then there are the little ones to consider that I babysit in order to be able to contribute financially to our family (and because I need a baby fix every single day). Will I be able to give them the attention that they need? Do I have enough educational activities planned for them to keep them engaged while I am teaching my children? There’s so much to think about and plan!
I’ve noticed a similar anxiousness from many of my friends who have children in public or private school this year. With COVID-19 hovering over the entire world, we are all facing uncharted territory for us all. Parents are asking questions such as, “How will I work and help my children with their schoolwork all at the same time? Should I send my children to school or keep them home to do school online? How will my children fare as they are home day after day instead of at school with their friends? If I decide to send my child, will they catch covid?” There are just so many unknowns which have caused a sense of fear and unsettledness in many.
I was texting a friend last week and she was sharing with me her concerns for this next year. She works from home and has 4 children under the age of 7. When school starts back, she will be juggling the schoolwork of 2 school age children, her own work schedule, plus her 3 year old and baby. She was expressing how incredibly stressed she was as I was processing my own upcoming school year. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed for both of us when I came across a scripture that I have decided will be my Bible passage to focus on for the 2020-2021 school year. I think it’s one that every parent should keep in mind as we face this next year of uncertainty.
5 Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. 6 He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. 7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. 8 He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
~ Jeremiah 17:5-8
As usual, the Lord gave me exactly what I need to face this year through this scripture. He reminded me that if I try to rely on my own strength, I will fail. I will shrivel up and won’t have the strength to carry on. Life will remain overwhelming because I can’t make it on my own. WIthout trusting in Him, my mind and heart will be filled with trepidation.
But, when we trust in Him and read His Word daily, we are REFRESHED! We don’t have to fear the year ahead, even when we know ahead of time that the days are going to be TOUGH. We can rest in Him as we know for certain that He will daily give us what we need to make it through every single day. And notice that we won’t just barely make it through. The end of the last verse says, “for it does not cease to bear fruit.” That means this tree is not wilted and barely hanging on, but it is very much healthy and alive! So, not only will we survive, we will also continue to be productive, full of life and growth.
While writing this post, I was also reminded of the Children of Israel as they wandered through the desert. When they woke each morning, there was fresh manna on the ground to give them the strength for that day. But, they couldn’t hoard it and save it until the next or it would spoil and be filled with worms. They had to simply trust God to give them the new manna that they needed each and every morning. Right now it’s easy to look and wonder if we will have what we need for each day that we are about to face. When we climb into bed each night we can easily be weary from all that we’ve just had to juggle and wonder how we will make it through the next 24 hours. But, when we go to Him each morning, He will give us new strength for that upcoming day. And we can’t just read His Word occasionally and expect it to hold us over. Remember, when the Israelites tried to use the manna from previous days, it wasn’t possible. Thus, we have to draw from Him daily.
Don’t fret about tomorrow. Or next week. Or the next year. Trusting in yourself or man will cause you to be anxious and fear this coming year that we are facing. Jesus said in Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Instead, put your roots down in Him. Drink daily from the water that only He can give and you will never thirst again (John 4:14). You can trust in Him knowing that just as He gave the Israelites the manna that they needed each morning, He will give you exactly what you need to face each day. Decide today to trust Him. And whatever you do, DON’T WAIT!
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