Let’s Start at the Very Beginning

Days fall apart when we do things out of order. Imagine trying to write a story without regard to the order that the letters must be in to form words…. it would be a jumbled mess. That is often what we do when we do not begin with GOD.

I know this all too well. There are days where I have had my feet hit the floor with IMPACT, energized and seemingly ready to go, only to find myself a few hours later, defeated and frustrated, FACE DOWN on the floor! (well, at least it feels that way!) I was ready to COMPETE in the race, but I was not really ready to RUN the RACE with endurance.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”– Hebrews 12:1-3

The endurance I need to RUN this homeschooling race with, can ONLY come from HIM, it is after all the marathon of a lifetime.

The prophet Isaiah promises in 40:31,

“Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

~How can we find the strength?~

For each of us that is an individual answer. I know that I NEED to carve out time in my day to be in ‘HIS WORD’. I also know that I need to fill my day with daily prayer, focusing not only on a specific ‘prayer time’ but daily prayers as I move through the day. Listening in, these are not traditional prayers, they are often funny conversations between my Lord and I…sometimes comedic, sometimes through the words of a song, (usually a Third Day song for me!) and sometimes simply cries for help in overcoming the piles of laundry and pleas for MORE hours in the day. They are all ways that I stay constantly connected to my source of strength.

I have found that by being in constant communication with the one “who knows the thoughts I have before I have them”, (“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…” (Jeremiah 1:4 – 6)) fills me more with peace than with the stress that I create when I try and talk to myself. These prayers for me have become conversations that TRULY guide me through the day. It’s as if I have a friend always ‘on the line’.

As a new year is upon us, we are inundated with pressure to make resolutions. Instead, let us resolve to find peace. I have a quote that I keep above my computer that reads,

“peace. it does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. it means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.” ~anonymous~

That kind of peace can be found simply, at the beginning. Before we ever commit to teach
A, B, C’s or DO, RE, MI’s we have to….

“start at the VERY beginning…”
It’s the ONLY place to start!

With a brand new year ahead of us,

We “Raise our Hands” and pray….

Father,
You are where I need to begin. My days of peace amidst the noise will only be found when I seek your will and guidance in my life. As a new year begins, I find myself full of hope in what is to come, I know however that this road of life is a long and winding one. Father, you know my heart, you know my desire to raise children of character, children who grow in knowledge of you and use the gifts that you have given them to glorify YOU in their lives. I cannot do this alone. I often find myself burdened by the daily demands of this life, and when I do, I turn to you, the beginning and the end. Help me Father never forget the abundant gifts in my life, help me to find peace in all circumstances….thank you Father for the gift of homeschooling my children, a gift that came from you…You are where my peace lies,
In Jesus’ name I pray these things.
~amen~