ON WAITING: LESSONS LEARNED

As a homeschool mom of six amazing kids, I still have my ups and downs with fear wondering whether or not they are progressing academically.

(Homeschooling mommas, can I get an AMEN?!)

One of the many great reasons for homeschooling is that our learners (a.k.a. children) can be allowed to learn at their own pace.

BUT when they actually try to go at their own pace, I sorta panic!

Am I doing it right?

Since my math-adverse son is an avid reader, I decided to purchase an inexpensive Christian book series and told him each book would be given to him incrementally based upon his progress in math.

Panic set in again!

I was concerned that maybe the books weren’t incentives and might instead be anchoring a practice of bribery.

I reached out to an online homeschool forum. Those precious-to-me mommas offered many helpful comments and I was able to relax. I learned that I was viewing incentives and bribery as synonyms, but clearly they are not.

My son made great progress in math and earned his first book.

My heart soared for him (and for me) that he had done so well!

Then, he slowed down and almost came to a complete stop.

Like many new motivational techniques, I wondered if this latest attempt was just the proverbial flash-in-the-pan that would be numbered among a growing list of failed chore charts, award jars, and star charts.

Still, I decided not to toss this endeavor into the Failed Pile.

Instead, God prompted me to wait. Groan! Yes, God is teaching me to wait.

So, I waited for him to return to his math.

The newly purchased book series also waited for his progress, but I did not see the same enthusiasm from him.

I admit that I was discouraged. I wondered if the series was no longer of interest to him? I asked and he said it was interesting and that he was eager to get the next one.

I waited some more.

Then a few weeks later, without prompting, he resumed. He earned the next book in the series and finished it 3 hours later.

I expected his latest accomplishment to result in a near complete stop again, but the next morning he was back at it!

Math-adverse son working on his math
a.k.a. God working to build my son’s perseverance

I think the LESSON LEARNED for me as his momma is:

Keep waiting.

It is no secret that this particular son does not enjoy math.

(Although last night he said he did enjoy math, so I might be wrong!)

God is growing me as His daughter and as a momma. He is also growing my children.

My kids (and friends) wait on me to get it and I wait on them to get it.

The good news is that in all this waiting, we get to see that God has an appointed time for all things.

ALL things are in His sovereign care.

I am finding more comfort in this truth than I ever thought I could or would. Maybe you will find some comfort is this truth as well.

Seeds of Faith

* “For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.”
Habakkuk 2:3

* Although this passage is referring to something altogether different, it draws my attention to a strong biblical principle about waiting. For an interesting Bible study sometime, search through all the passages that refer to “at the appointed time” or “in God’s time” or “in the fullness of time” and see what God might be leading you to understand on the topic of waiting.