Encouragement for the Early Years

Homeschool mother of 4 offers encouragement for the early years #homeschool #homeeducation

Written by Talvi McCuskey.

I once heard a pretty famous speaker say that the Enemy wants to steal every season from us--to make us miserable in each stage of our life. She said that we either wish our children were young again or that they would grow up. We wish that we did not live in such a small house or that we did not have such a large house to keep clean.

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No matter what stage we are in life, we often wish for a different one. This can certainly be true in the midst of undertaking the monumental task of not only raising our children but also providing them with an education from our homes.

Homeschool mother of 4 offers encouragement for the early years #homeschool #homeeducation

As a homeschooling mom of four children, I can fall prey to this at times. My children are 7, 5, 2, and 8 months old. They are the loves of my life, my beating heart—and yet they are needy and at times demanding, and they do not sleep at the exact hours I would prefer.

When will they get older and sleep well?

When will they become a bit more independent?

And yet a moment later I can wistfully see how seven years have flown by and admit that childhood is brief and precious.

At the end of these early years, will I have done enough, appreciated the moments enough, given enough grace?

Encouragement for the Early Years

I think the cure to this conundrum of when-will-this-difficult-time-be-over versus I-wish-I-could-go-back-to… can be solved mainly by seizing this day. Not years ago, and not years in the future. Yes, we can learn from our past and have great hopes for the future, but the only time we can actually control is today.

Tim Tebow writes in his excellent book This is the Day
“God gives us today as a gift. This is the day to live without fear of the unknown, without being chained by failures or what-ifs.” 

Today is the day that we can let go of past mistakes.
Today is the day that we can be present.
Today is the day that we can determine, by the grace of God, to have the strength to love our children, keep building a solid relationship with them, and to keep sowing into their lives as much as we can.

Encouragement for the Early Years

Today is holy work. We will be met with obstacles and challenges, no doubt. But God will be with us to take us through them. Don't allow someday to steal from today.

Today is not for the harvest. Today is for the sowing. But never fear, the harvest will come.

I am so excited to see how God will move in my life and the life of my children, if I will only keep seizing each opportunity to love Him and them well.  



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