Utterly Overwhelmed?

"Faithful is He Who is calling you [to Himself] and utterly trustworthy, and He will also do it…"(I Thess 5:24 AMP)

Have you ever felt totally unqualified and overwhelmed by a task that lies before you? Like educating your children, being a wise parent, cleaning a house, helping at church? I know I have.

When I was a busy mother of young children, managing my home, caring for five children not my own, I was many times utterly overwhelmed. Yet, every time, God was utterly trustworthy to give me strength and fill in the gaps where I was spread too thin.I have learned over the years that when God 'calls' us to do something, He will be the One to carry us through.
Remember David facing down Goliath? He could have felt overwhelmed and under qualified, yet he knew God would equip him to defeat the giant. Remembering God's faithfulness helped him to rise to the challenge.

Consider on the other hand, the Israelites in the wilderness. The spies (military leaders) all went into Canaan to spy out the land. The report was terrifying. Giants, mountainous terrain, obstacles and opposition as far as the eye could see. That was all the Israelites needed to hear! They forgot completely about the miracles they had seen and the deliverance they had experienced. Instead they cried and complained because the task before them was too big.

Can any of you relate? I know I can. Just this morning I was bemoaning the facts of my life. The full-time job, the tiredness, the messy house…and on it went. Until God brought me up short and reminded me that He is big enough. His faithfulness will be more than enough to get me through this rough patch...and He's big enough for whatever you may be facing today, too!
I want to remind you (and myself) that He Who called you is faithful. He will enable you to meet your giants and to defeat them.

The Musk Ox in ACTION!

Read my previous post on the Mighty Musk Ox to understand the significance of this video...

Building on the foundation...

"The best way to help a student is to move her just one step from what she knows to what she doesn't know. Education is a process of building upon a foundation of previous learning."

This works in life, too! When I am frustrated with a situation, I'm always tempted to institute a total overhaul, instead of building on what is working. The foundation is the place to start, whether we are talking finances, relationships, house work...etc. Recognize what's already in place and look for ways to tweak the system. I think this will help us make more consistent progress than starting over time and time again. Consider the areas of your life this applies to...

Just food for thought!

Great Article about the Importance of A Great Library

I just read last night that the average vocabulary consisted of 55,000 words thirty years ago. Today, the average person's vocabulary contains only 15,000. That stresses to me the importance of reading and making quality material available to our kids...and ourselves!

In this article by Phil Cooke, he gives lots of helpful thoughts and ideas on creating a great library. Check it out!

Are you a highly-Successful Person?

Use this printable checklist to find out! I think this would be a great tool to use with our teens as well.

Other resources from Steven Covey:

Time management...or Energy management?

I enjoyed this article on "time management" by H. Wallace Goddard. I'm not familiar with this man, but his words rang true for me...

My experience may be unusual, but I would argue that my productivity relates much more to my willingness to run errands for God than my skill at planning my priorities and scheduling them wisely. It doesn’t even relate to resisting the tyranny of the urgent. It relates to my willingness to do God’s bidding.

Energy Management

So I believe that our effectiveness relates far more to our energy management than our time management. In my view, most of us do not fail because we lack a plan as much as because we don’t have the energy to do what we feel we must do.

So I propose some simple rules of energy management...

Read rest of article here:

Food for the Mind--and getting your kids to eat it!

"A home is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the soul."
Margaret Fuller

This quote sums up one of our main goals as parents and homeschoolers--to provide fuel for the fire of curiosity and for learning. Many times, the best thing I could do for my kids was introduce an idea. Sometimes in the form of a book or video; sometimes in a suggestion or observation. Then my job was to stand back and let the wind of inspiration (and the Holy Spirit) do its work.

I can tell you, this works! The secret to inspiring your child's natural curiosity and fanning the flame of their natural gifting is to have a hands-off approach. You must trust God and your child to take hold of the idea and run it with it! The difference between saying, "You will read this book on Gooey Science Experiments you can eat" and putting it on the table with a casual "this looked gross, but maybe you'll like it."

I challenge you today, to practice stirring the embers of your child's interests in a subtler, gentler way and see what happens.