What season is this? The calendar would say that we are in the heart of the summer. All of God’s creation longs to be admired, nurtured, and even respected as we witness earthquakes, floods, and tornadoes at an unprecedented level.

The media says that we are in a season of prayer (although they don’t consciously express it that way). With increasing Godlessness occurring at the state and federal levels, it is imperative that we pray for our country, its current leadership, and the leadership of the future. This prayer is not about a man, but for God to continue to show Himself strong. He is our true leader, and nothing will happen under the watch of either candidate except what He allows. We need to be lights in the ever-increasing darkness, not preaching the same rhetoric as the world, but lifting God even higher, that others will see us and cry out, “What must I do to be saved?”

If you are a homeschooler who follows a traditional school calendar, this is the season of rest, or at least it should be. The books have been laid away for a time, the lesson plans can be tucked away, and all that needs to happen now is rest and relaxation. Then, almost out of nowhere, with your heels kicked up, you feel a small nudge. What are we doing for next year? Are we doing the right things? The voice grows louder and louder. Are the children learning? Did I buy the right books/games/worksheets? Left unchecked, the mind spirals out of control, and all our fears and anxieties are magnified beyond our own recognition. “WHAT AM I DOING?”

Such was my experience during a mini-vacation at the beach last week. The kids were enjoying the evening’s high tide, and my husband and oldest daughter were feeding a flock of very aggressive sea gulls. I stood back and absorbed the family’s enjoyment of the beach and of each other, and I grabbed my camera to try and capture the moment. As I took pictures, I thought about what wonderful learning opportunities are present in our everyday lives if we’d only slow down enough to see them. Then I began to think about this upcoming school year, and what formal learning would accompany these informal learning experiences. Book cover after book cover crossed my mind’s path, and then I began to wonder, are these the right books? Am I missing something? With college looming over us like a giant shadow as the oldest enters her teenage years, I had a fleeting thought which sent my heart racing: what if she doesn’t know what she needs to know? What if she’s not smart enough for anyone’s college?

Thank God, I’m mature enough in my Christian walk now to know where these thoughts come from, and to speak God’s word over them. However, watching the birds, and not one of them emaciated, I might add, this passage hit me in an entirely new way:

Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they? Matthew 6:26(KJV)

I could not articulate the sense of peace that flooded my soul, but it has stuck with me ever sense that moment. With all due respect to the wonderful curriculum that exists for homeschoolers (including my own), there are places of growth that only come from an encounter with God Himself. The gap between us as parents with our curriculum, plans, education in teaching methods, etc., and the ideal for our children can only be filled by Him. Moreover, there are stumbling blocks and hindrances to learning, hidden sometimes to us and hidden even to our children as individuals, that only He can touch, pour His healing balm upon, and reveal. Over the years, I have had a number of chances to beat my head against a wall as I encourage, cajole, and occasionally scream my way past what seems like apathy or outright laziness. Only when I cry out to God do I begin to see His hand, His sense of time, and then the manifestation of my prayers in the natural. Something seems to “click” with one of the kids, and the very attitude that caused so much stress and tension just dissipates. What appears in its place is attention to detail, self-motivation, and a commitment to excellence.

As a clarification, I believe very much in academic wisdom. I believe that knowledge really is power, and I am a living witness to the data that supports the socioeconomic value of higher education. In the world we live in, there are keys to elevation, and education is one of those keys. (As an aside, when I speak of elevation, by the way, I am not talking about fame or personal glory; I am claiming command of more resources to touch lives for Christ.) Having said that, I pray that my words minister to you as they minister to me. As you search, as you plan, as you purchase, and most importantly, as you pray, be mindful that there are areas of learning that can only be accomplished through an encounter with the Great Teacher Himself. Rest in this knowledge and then use whatever you bring into your home for what it really is — a tool to further equip your children to be used for God’s Kingdom. Books will take your child far in life, but the missing cobblestones in the path will need the one intangible piece of your lesson plan — God.

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.