Planning with Purpose
Educating the WholeHearted Child: Chapter 16
I love structure. You might not be able to tell from looking at my house, but I get great satisfaction from bringing order and organization to most part of my life, including homeschooling. So this chapter (“Structure:Keeping the Homeschooling Together”) was right up my alley.
One thing that stood out for me was the section on “Know Your Priorities” (p.287). For the past few years I’ve pretty much eliminated our outside commitments, but now that the children are getting a little older, I’ve started stepping back into the world.
There’s an opportunity coming up in a couple weeks that I’m praying about for Ian. My initial reaction was “Now way–we’re too busy). But then I actually looked at my calendar and realized some of our other activities would be ending and that really didn’t need to be a hindrance. So said I’d pray about it.
This section on priorities gave me a lot to think about. In fact, I had to get out a notepad and start jotting down all that thoughts that started flying through my head with regards to this decision. Am I just thinking about what’s convenient for me or am I considering how God would use this opportunity to develop the unique gifts He’s given Ian? Would this really be a God-honoring activity for Ian or would it be a distraction?
I’m not ready to make a decision yet, but the Lord was definitely speaking to me through this chapter, helping me to consider the matter from multiple angles, and I trust the He will guide my husband and I to the right decision and give us peace. I know as all our children get older, many more opportunities will arise. This is only the first of many times we’ll need to consider our priorities and pray before letting them jump into something just because it sounds fun.
Each Mentoring Monday I share my reflections on what I’ve been learning from my “paper mentors.” I am currently joining in a book discussion of Educating the WholeHearted Child by Clay Clarkson (with Sally Clarkson), so my Monday posts are all being sparked by things I’m reading in this fabulous book!