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Wednesday, May 5, 2010

I'm Doing Something!!!

I need to get to bed, but I would also like to journal a minute. I am homeschooling my children, right? Then why am I not home all that much? How come the days that we get to spend an entire day at home are fewer than when I'm out running errands or on play dates? It's beginning to bother me.

A couple of years ago I attended a homeschooling conference. I went because the Jessie Wise was speaking and I think that she is a rock star! While there I was reading a bit in Nehemiah, I'm not sure why, but God used Nehemiah to show me that I was doing something. I was building a wall. When the enemies tried to distract Nehemiah so he would quit (leaving the city vulnerable) Nehemiah blew him off and told him (in essence) that he didn't have time for their nonsense, he was building a wall. I am building a wall. I am rebuilding as I build. Our culture has all but obliterated the family unit telling us that we need to be busy in order to be valid. We need to be sure that we are allowing our children the time to play with other children and on teams for fun and then for competition and we need to be in church and programs out the wazoo! It's not healthy first of all, and it's not possible second of all.

I am currently in a study at church called Redeeming the Time. I am learning a TON and tonight I realized that I am so consumed with the "urgent" things, that those things that are necessary are going undone. I am becoming increasingly more frustrated because I am not in my home long enough to "keep" it and when we are here the phone is ringing or I'm attempting to do many things at the same time. Totally inefficient.

What has God called me to do? Has He called me to run my children until we are all ragged to insure that their social "needs" are being met? No. He hasn't. I'm sure of that. He has called me to teach and train my children and then there was one more thing...what was it? Oh, He has called me to ENJOY my children. I am really going to beg Him to do this. I have been enjoying them, but I haven't been fighting for it. I have allowed circumstances or the urgent needs of others to put them second or even third. They are the best thing I have (Mike and Jesus too) and I am treating them they second class citizens in a third world country!

I'll say this, school is great. We learned a lot and got a good bit done, but that's not why I have my children home. I want to play games with them and sing songs and clean and cook and ENJOY our days TOGETHER! So, I think I'm going to be saying "No" a bit more often these days. I think that I may be misunderstood and I may miss out on some fun stuff, but I do NOT want to miss out on the ordinary, everyday, mundane stuff of life that I will never get back.

It matters to me that they have friends. Heck, I want to hang out with my friends, but we are gone way too much for way too long. One of my favorite lines is from Goonies when they are in the well and they find a "wish" that they want to take back they say, "This is my wish, my dream, and it didn't come true, and I'm taking it back...I'm taking them all back." I'll tell you what, "These are my kids, my gifts and I'm taking them back...I'm taking them all back."

A very wise, anonymous Wal-Mart shopper once said, "The days are long, but the years are short."

I want to ENJOY these long days. How about you?