Getting Out of the Way

Posted by Belinda | 0 comments

When reading the Bible, I sometimes laughingly think (with all due respect to the authors of how-to books on the market) about how God presented us with the original home education model. Jesus’ ministry catered to every learning style. He spoke with His followers in an audible voice, using parables (the makings of the first Living Book) to teach them the larger life lessons of the Christian journey. He taught in ways ideal for the visual and the kinesthetic learner, as well, using objects they saw and related to in everyday farm life — wheat, soil, rocks, oil, farm animals, and fish. He used concepts of marriage and family to convey to us, a “stiff-necked people,” how his kingdom should look, on earth and in Heaven. In spite of my Martha-like tendencies, even I sometimes slow down enough to take advantage of a God-given object lesson.

Not too long ago, we made a special effort to travel four hours and awake at 5 a.m. My husband and I wanted the kids to see this little fellow and 88 of his brothers and sisters make it from a mother’s protected place in the sand to ocean life on their own. After listening to a park ranger’s introduction, which teetered on the brink of environmental idolatry, we began the short trek down the beach to view the releasing of the turtles.

I’ve seen turtle releases on television. They are simplistic, yet a marvelous display of our Lord’s handiwork. They instinctively know how to follow the moonlight, the sounds of the water, and the path of one another. The tide lends a suspicious hand, at times edging the turtle further toward the ocean, at times pushing it farther back in the sand. Sadly enough, not all of the turtles make it; birds and other predators are there, doing their part to control the population. However, it all happens in obedience to God’s plan.

Though the journey of the turtles was no less captivating, the rest of the event looked more like a circus than a marvel of nature. Rangers and volunteers were everywhere to “help” the sea turtles. They helped the turtles who were pushed backward by the waves. They helped keep the seagulls away. They helped the turtles who got into the water get out further, faster. Now, for those environmentalists whose work and passion I might have cast judgment on, I can appreciate saving an endangered species or nurturing an injured animal. Yet, as I watched all the flags, all the cautions, and hands, hands, helping hands, I thought, when does help become a hindrance? Where is the line between the plans of the park employees and volunteers vs. the plans of God? What would happen if all the hands moved away and made room for God’s plan?

So, if I apply this object lesson to my own life and homeschooling adventure, where do I get in the way of God’s plan? I overplan, mainly because planning gives me the same thrill that women stereotypically get over a trip to the mall. Consequently, left to my own devices, I can drain the fun and spontaneity right out of learning; an unscripted, nonroutine day can quickly drive me bananas! I overcommit my own time and the children’s, and again, like the Biblical character Martha, can miss out on what is truly important in the name of getting more done. Those may not be your vices. Perhaps you submit to fear to intimidation, to the idea that you are not smart enough to teach your children. Maybe you give audience to the feminist agenda that says marriage and family should only come after your career, and now you wonder if you are missing out on something. If you have been called to homeschool (and no matter how the calling came, it is a calling), any behavior that takes you away from God’s purpose in your life, that pulls you from this particular season of ministry, gets in the way of God’s plan.

I have continued to reflect on this beautiful object lesson as I prepare for our “official” start of school in few weeks. The “unofficial” start is what we’ve done in the past ten or so weeks. The kids have an ample amount of time to themselves during the day, but are expected at some point to find a quiet place for reading and mathematics. This summer they’ve also continued notebooking activities after our history studies did not get quite as far as I expected before we closed our other books. I still facilitate much of our time together as we enjoy some great historical literature together. Overcommiting for a summer afternoon? Perhaps, but I have been more observant regarding what happens when I get out of the way:

• A trip to a forestry museum sparks conversation about early 20th century lifestyles and the importance of trading in an era when most families made their own goods and cash was not readily available
• A lesson in the development of the Constitution sparks the desire to draft a family constitution
• An ordinary day at a beach becomes a science lesson and a Bible study all in one

The Word says that the Lord knows our children down to each hair on their precious heads. He knows our plans. He knows where we fall short, where our motives go astray, and where our uncanny knack of trying to help Him gets in the way. As hard as it can be for us, He already knows where our children will get pushed back, when they will lose direction, and what will rob them of what He and we have planned for them. Our task is to create an environment for them to learn, and then with His gentle guidance, to know when we have helped enough, and get out of the way.

“To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the reply of the tongue. All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD. Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” Proverbs 16:3

Belinda Bullard is a wife and homeschooling mother of three, Belinda is an author and the owner of A Blessed Heritage Educational Resources, a literature-based history curriculum featuring African-American presence in history, as well as the contributions of other races to American history. A chemical engineer by formal education, she also serves as adjunct faculty for college distance learning programs.