Hope*Writers Writing Challenge: VOICE

God gave each of us a voice in this world.  We make choices every day about how we use our voice to spread light, joy, and love or to stir up trouble and disharmony.  The words that we speak with our voice have power to lift another person up or down.  Each time we speak, we make a choice about how to use this power to help or to hurt others.  I cannot always tame the power of my own tongue, but when I do exhibit more self-control and wait to say something that I know I should not, I do not regret waiting.  I hardly ever regret that I was slow to speak up or waited to give my opinion on something, but I have regretted words that I said carelessly many times.  

My voice matters and yours does, too.  We have influence with our words and how they fall on the hearts of other people in our lives.  Are our words stirring up trouble and discord or are they lifting the spirits of others and pointing them toward Jesus?  When we are speaking, what if we made the effort to stop and pause for a moment to think about how those words might affect the other person?  I have failed at this many times, but as I continue to grow and develop, I hope that I make better choices about how I use my voice and what kind of words I share with the world.  

Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians 4:8, "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."  Then, he writes that whatever they have learned from him, they need to put it into practice, "And the God of peace will be with you."  When we focus our minds on positive messages, then we will have peace.  Proverbs 16:24-25 says, "The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent and their lips promote instruction.  Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."  Our words have the power to teach, instruct, sooth, and to heal.  When we use our voices to promote these good things, then God can use us in a great way. 

One voice can truly make a difference!  How are you using your voice today?  May we use our voices wisely and find a way each day this week to bring beauty, light, love, joy, and peace to the world. 

Waiting

As I look out upon the winter scene, the bare grey trees look lifeless and dead.  I do not see any signs of life from within.  Trees can be deceiving in winter, even while they appear to have no life, winter is when they are storing up energy and preparing for the next cycle of life coming in the spring.  Winter days can drag on when it's cold outside, with cloudy grey days and not a lot of sunshine.  It feels sometimes as if we are just passing time in the winter with no real productivity.  The first part of the year can feel depressing after the holidays are over and we say goodbye to the lazy days of winter break. 

 

We wait for spring to come but waiting is a part of many seasons of life.  I have had to wait so many times for something in the distant future that felt like it would never come.  We wait for the perfect relationship, marriage, a career change, children, a new home, or a vacation.  We know the pain of seeing a goal in the future but being required to wait.  Like the lifeless looking trees which are growing on the inside, how can I use the waiting periods of my life to grow on the inside, too?  Am I a lifeless being, just passing time, or am I waiting on the Lord, while learning as much as I can from His Word and continuing to share His hope with others?   

 

Throughout God’s Word we are encouraged to be patient and wait upon the Lord.  Joseph of Genesis was given a vision as a young teen that he would one day lead his family, even though he was almost the youngest of twelve sons.  After his brothers sold him into slavery, Joseph endured many years of being falsely accused, imprisoned, and serving in the households of others.  In his waiting, he continued to live a life that others noticed because of his hard work, wisdom, and character.  There must have been years when he gave up on his vision and thought it would never come true, but God continued to bless him.  

 

Through all of his waiting Joseph developed himself to eventually become the leader chosen to be Pharoah's second in command!  He did not waste away his years of waiting but made them productive and allowed God to lead him, even when his life did not make sense.  Joseph told his brothers in Genesis 50:20, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”  Eventually, his journey made sense and he could see the purpose in it.  Not only did Joseph help save the nation of Egypt during a famine, but he also ended up saving his own family who had come in search of grain.  God did grant the vision to come true, but it happened in a much different way than Joseph or his family could have anticipated.  

 

While we wait, how can we continue to steward what we have already been given?  How can we grow in our ability to demonstrate kindness and compassion toward others?  What is God able to do because we are waiting and not running ahead of his plans?  During a season that feels like cold grey winter, what seeds of spring can God grow in you while you wait?

True Love

 

February is a month where many people are focused on love because of Valentine's Day! It's a fun time to show someone you care, to send your love across the miles to family and friends with a card or note, or to surprise someone with a special treat or gift to show them that you love them.  Stores are filled with Valentine themed gifts, so it's easy to find something to give to someone that you appreciate or love.

There are different kinds of love in the English language, but the word "love" is used for many different meanings and it can be confusing.  Older languages actually had multiple words for different forms of love.  The Greek language had four commonly used words for various types of love that make each use of the word clear.  In Greek, "agape" means unconditional, sacrificial love, while "eros" stands for sensual, passionate romantic kind of love. "Philia" means a loyalty or authentic love between friends and "storge" is the kind of affection that parents have for their children.

Whether we have friendships, a romantic love, or family love, we can all take some time to think about how to be more loving toward the people in our lives, like the "agape" love of God.  The "Love Chapter" of 1 Corinthians 13 describes this unconditional love as patient, kind, not envious or boastful, not proud, dishonoring, or self-seeking, not easily angered, and not a keeper of records of wrongs.  This chapter also says that love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth, always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres, and never fails.  Wow!  Can we show that kind of love to the people around us every day?  It's quite a tall order.  I want to love like that, but I often fall short.  As flawed humans, we all fall short of this kind of love, so I am thankful that God sent us Jesus to be our model.  

Jesus shows us that kind of agape love!  We can go to Him when we mess up and He is patient, kind, not easily angered, and will not keep a record of the wrong that we have done!  Jesus came to earth to show us sacrificial, unconditional love!  His love is new every morning and He always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres.  His love never fails us and Jesus inspires us to love others better, like Him.  1 John 3:16 says, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”  We can open our hearts to the love of God and look to how Jesus lived out love in His life on earth to guide us toward loving others.  God sent us a gift of His love for us in Jesus and we do not have to wait until Valentine's Day to celebrate it, but we can celebrate that love every day of the year!

Hope Writer Writing Challenge Day 2: Progress

What is progress?  I think of progress as "moving forward"  and the dictionary says "progress" can be a noun meaning "forward or onward movement toward a destination" or a verb which means "to move forward or onward in space or time".  It is interesting that this word is one that can be used as a noun and a verb.  We actively move toward our goals (verb) or we name the movement toward those goals (noun) as "progress".

Some things progress very slowly, like people.  When we parent our little babies and toddlers, there are many days when we feel like no progress is being made, but over time, they really do grow and develop into bigger, older, more mature people than they were when they were small.  "The days are long and the years are short" is a saying that I have experienced in my own life.  We have had days that felt very long and did not feel like we were making any progress, but at twenty years of parenting our young adult children, I can now look back and see so much progress that they have made. 

There were days as a full-time parent and home educator to our children that I felt discouraged and almost like we were going backwards or things were not turning out as I had hoped, yet in doing the daily things, the most important things, we were making progress that I could not always see.  Being diligent in the mundane, small tasks, built up over weeks, months, and years into great influences in our lives.  Some of the things we did together regularly helped our children grow into the kind, friendly, compassionate, funny, and bright kids that they are today.  Spending time together every day in conversations about all kinds of things helped them to learn not only knowledge about our world, but also that adults care and how to listen to the ideas of others and to voice their own opinions in a respectful way.  Taking time to read the Bible together and to hear stories from great literature taught them about beauty, virtue, faith, history, and how to learn from the mistakes of others.  Praying together every day taught them how to pray on their own and how to come to God in their own prayers.  Their education was not just about academics, but also about growing their hearts and spirits.

"Do you not now that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.  They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."  1 Corinthians 9:24-25

 Of course we are all on a journey and we are still trying to make progress in many areas of our lives.  There are still days where it feels like zero progress has been made, but it is such a gift to be able to stop and reflect upon the true progress we have already made.  Each day may not feel like great progress is being made, but over longer periods of time, the progress will become clear.  Keep doing the right things in a diligent way, with perseverance and hope that tomorrow you will move forward, because eventually, you will be able to look back and see how far you have come.  

Hope for Your Homeschool

It's August and it’s a crazy time for schools and families alike, trying to navigate COVID-19 and the new rules and regulations that have come with it, as well as multiple ways to educate kids in person, online, and through hybrid models.  It’s such a strange time and I am thankful that our plans for my senior daughter are not that different because we have always home educated her, but at the same time, we are trying to help my son prepare to go back to living on his college campus for in person classes with lots of new rules.

I also have friends and family talking about keeping their kids at home for school, and not virtual school, but actually considering withdrawing them from their brick and mortar schools to home educate their kids and truly homeschool.  Almost all parents are faced with some type of decision about how to handle school for their children during this pandemic and it’s not easy for anyone.

Although each family faces unique circumstances and choices, we can all try to make the best decisions for our own family and if you do choose to educate your family at home this year, I can offer some encouragement!  You may be fearful, anxious, and extremely uncertain about how this "experiment" of educating your kids at home will go, but don't fret, many people have done this for generations and you can do it, too!

One Year at a Time

Thinking back to 2006, when we began our home education journey, I initially felt a strong desire to try home schooling for my oldest child's Kindergarten year, for several different reasons, but I was afraid to talk to anyone about it!  After I finally brought it up to my husband, he supported me and started asking other people about homeschooling, which scared me even more!  I had been a music teacher to kids at church, in public and private schools, but could I teach my own precious kids everything that they needed to know?  My husband wisely told me to take it just one year at a time.

As I timidly started to share our idea with family and friends, I did have relatives and friends who were kind and well-meaning, ask us those dreaded questions about “socialization”, although we had already been part of children's church ministries and choirs, soccer teams, basketball teams, and music lessons.  The opportunities to "socialize" only expanded when we became more involved with our local home school community.  My mother-in-law also reminded us that she was actually homeschooled for many years while living overseas as the daughter of missionaries and I appreciated her support. 

 

Most of our family were very supportive and we started finding a few families in our community who were already home schooling and began building relationships with them.  It was in the local home school community and an online message board for the curriculum that we were using at the time that I began to find support and mentors in home education.  There were many times when I could not see how this was going to work out, but I learned to take it one year, one month, one week, one day, and even one moment at a time and it was great to have other home educators to turn to with my own questions.

Unique Learning Journeys

I was determined to give our kids the best education for their personal mix of strengths and challenges.  I also really enjoyed researching curriculum, trying new ideas, and learning about how to best teach my own children.  We tried many ideas that didn’t work, but we also continued to use what was working and I was able to find ways to help them enjoy learning! 

 

My college music education Professor, Dr. Dimmick, always taught us Music Ed. students to become "lifelong learners" and that's what I wanted my kids to become.  I did not have all the answers, but I found lots of resources and ideas to try along the way and you can, too.  One of the big ideas I had learned from my education background was to look at the different ways that each child learned naturally, with their strengths and unique personality.  I really enjoyed doing lots of reading and educational activities together, but also having some time to focus on their own individual needs and strengths. 

Leading the learning for my kids continued my own journey of lifelong learning as I learned more each year about the subjects we were studying, how to teach our children in a different way, or by reading books that were new to me.  Over the years, I found more resources in person through a larger homeschool community and online as the internet grew and developed more ways to communicate like Youtube and Facebook.

Blessings of Time Spent Together

As I look back now, with one graduate of our home school and one senior, I can say that I have been blessed to have had this gift of time with our children while they were growing up.  We have many memories of doing so many things together.  We know each other so very well and we have our own "family culture" of our shared experiences, jokes, funny memories, frustrations, sad moments, and joyful times.  We have shared many stories and wonderful books, games, puzzles, field trips, travel experiences, concerts and performances.  The kids have their own nostalgia now over the funny things they did together while growing up not only as siblings, but as schoolmates.

They are also growing into fine, young adults as they continue growing and learning.  I am thankful that we lived a lifestyle that allowed us the time to talk about character traits and the Bible each day during school.  We read inspiring stories about people who overcame great challenges to serve and help others.  We also learned so much together about history and the Bible and how God's story is woven throughout history and mankind.  None of us are perfect, by any means, but our kids have a solid foundation of knowledge and understanding of the Bible and I can see them using wisdom to apply it to their own lives now.

If you are feeling a deep desire to just keep your kids at home and spend time with them this year, I would encourage you to try it!  You can help your kids to learn in fun, enjoyable ways in your own home.  It may look very different than any school you have ever attended, but that's really okay.  You may find that the learning lifestyle is a great fit for your own family!  You know your children better than anyone and you can learn how to help them learn in their own unique ways. There really is hope for your home school!