Embracing the Unexpected

I am an unlikely candidate to give any advice regarding homeschooling because until this week, I had never homeschooled my child. And to be fair, I’m not technically homeschooling her now, either, thanks to Donum Dei’s thoughtful, efficient, AMAZING online approach to education during COVID-19.

But I do find myself in a space that I think many of us can relate to: an opportunity to embrace the unexpected, to take what I’ve been given and make the most of it. We are certainly living in the midst of unprecedented times. Our newsfeeds, social media streams, and conversations are flooded with discussion about living in a pandemic. We are confronted, at an alarming rate, with our inability to handle the anxiety that seems to be knocking at our every door. We are then offered the opportunity to steward our child’s education in a home setting. Am I the only one who feels a bit overwhelmed?

If you were to visit our home, you would find index cards throughout with scripture that addresses anxiety. We’ve placed them strategically in areas where fear or anxiety tends to rear its ugly head and wreak havoc on our family. As I was brushing my teeth, I found myself meditating on one of these passages from Isaiah, “Don’t panic. I’m with you. There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you. I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.” (Isaiah 41:10, The Message) In the midst of uncertainty, of taking on tasks we feel unprepared to take on, we would do well to remember that we are not in a free-fall. We have a steady, faithful God who has a firm grip on us, steadying our minds and hearts in the midst of fear and chaos.

I am also reminded that although some of us may not be official homeschool moms, we have been teaching our children in our home from the very beginning. We taught them in their earliest years that when they cry, we will respond with love and care. We patiently sat at the table, teaching them to chew and swallow their food. We potty-trained them, sang songs, and repeated (ad-nauseum!) new words and phrases. We woke up with them in the middle of the night to care for them in sickness or bad dreams. We have instructed them in the way of God, helping them to form a worldview that is secure in the loving sovereignty of an all-wise, all-knowing Father.

May we take the time to reflect upon the many ways God has used us in the lives of our children and trust that he will do it again, even anew, in this focused time of learning at home. We can trust that God will complete the work he began in and through us and this time is no different. Let’s be kind to ourselves (and our children!) as we all embrace new rhythms of learning and time spent in our homes. Surely God is in the midst of our unexpected, tilling the soil of our homes for flourishing.