Last week we considered that things take the time they take. Learning can’t be rushed. Time can’t be “had.” Our frustration with not having enough time can often be traced back to our erroneous assumption that time was something we could hold on to or direct, and that we are in control of things that never were within our control at all.How many times you’ll need to review the times tables with a particular child, for example. Some kids will pick these up easily. Others will need to drill them for years.
Last week we considered that things take the time they take. Learning can’t be rushed. Time can’t be “had.” Our frustration with not having enough time can often be traced back to our erroneous assumption that time was something we could hold on to or direct, and that we are in control of things that never were within our control at all.
How many times you’ll need to review the times tables with a particular child, for example. Some kids will pick these up easily. Others will need to drill them for years.
I hear about kids who just sort of start reading at a very young age. My own mother tells me this was the case with me, and indeed I don’t have any pre-reading memories. I could read for as long as I can remember. This was not true for my husband, however, who struggled through undiagnosed dyslexia for many many years before he could read fluently and well. Not a single one of my own six kids was an “early” reader, though they all learned to read at slightly different ages.
In his book, Four Thousand Weeks, Oliver Burkeman notes that “The more you hurry, the more frustrating it is to encounter tasks (or toddlers) that won’t be hurried. The more compulsively you plan for the future, the more anxious you feel about any remaining uncertainties, of which there will always be plenty.”
And that’s really at the heart of things, isn’t it? We compulsively plan for the future, which feeds our anxiety about any remaining uncertainties (there are a lot of those). What we want is assurance that our efforts will pay off. That all this toil in homeschooling will be worth it.
And so I’ll ask… Is it worth it to spend time reading with your children, even if it takes longer and you get through fewer books than you’d hoped? Is it worth it to repeat the math lesson, even if it means you never quite get to the last 15 lessons in the math book by summer break?Is it worth it to haul our kids to church each Sunday, even if you have no guarantee they’ll hold on to the faith you’re instilling in them?
And why does it matter?
Well, it’s not because we’re guaranteed any results or even any time. It matters because it matters. And it takes the time it takes.
“Look at the birds of the air,” the Lord tells us in the Gospel of Matthew. “They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?”
Grab something to write with. That journal you’re using. A notebook. A scrap piece of paper if it’s all you have. Or open the Notes App on your phone and get ready.
Remember - God is giving you all the help you need to make good decisions in your homeschool. We’ll journal for just a few minutes together so we can hear what He’s saying to us.
1. What are you encountering in your homeschool that will not be hurried?
I’m going to start a minute of music. Just braindump. What are you encountering in your homeschool that will not be hurried?
Mmmm. Now consider:
2. Are these areas that cannot be hurried making you anxious? Are you feeling uneasy about them? What thoughts are you having about them? For the next minute, write a prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to give you peace in this area. As you do, remember this passage from Philippians:
“Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
So tell God what you’re anxious about here. Let your requests be known to God. He knows your thoughts, so take a minute or two to tell Him the anxious thoughts you’re having about time and about things taking the time they take.
I’ll give you two minutes for this one.
Now, one final question for you today.
3. How can you build wiggle room into the schedule so that things can take the time they take?
Think of a tiny step you can take TODAY. I don't’ mean re color-coding your entire schedule (although I’m with you on the temptation to do just that!). I mean what is one tiny thing you can do TODAY to build in a little wiggle room. To let things take the time they take.
Here’s a minute to write down any ideas that come to mind. Brainstorm a few ideas, and then just circle one tiny thing you can do today.
Books Mentioned in This Episode:
Four Thousand Weeks, Oliver Burkeman
