Have you ever felt burned out? Maybe you’ve felt like you want to quit homeschooling for good because it all seems too much. Or, maybe your kids are just having a really hard time cooperating with doing school work lately. I’ve been there and it is hard.
As a homeschool parent you want nothing but success for your children. Well, that and maybe for them to know the answers when random people ask them random questions to make sure they are getting a good education. Haha. But the success part is very important to us. We feel like it’s a reflection of ourselves.
We plan our curriculum, our time, our schedules, and our lives for success. But, what we don’t plan on is the wrenches that life sometimes throws at us. You know, a child gets ill, a family member passes away, a curriculum isn’t working, someone loses a job. This can set us back with our homeschooling quite a bit. But don’t let it get you down. Just take a rest.
Take a step back from everything and rest in God. God calls us to a life of peace and calm. When we feel anxious about catching up on school work because of life, it’s not peaceful or calm. It feels chaotic and disruptive. When we rest in God, He gives us the strength and endurance we need to continue on. He doesn’t want us to feel like we are behind all the time.
When we step back from whatever it is that’s making us feel behind, it renews our strength. It does for me anyway. It gives me a little time to reevaluate the whole situation and start fresh. But, it has to be a real rest and not just a day off. Resting means to fully cease from work to relax, refresh yourself, and recover strength. Sometimes all it takes is a day off to really rest. But, sometimes it’s a significant amount of time. Don’t feel guilty about it either way.
When life starts to get hard and you feel hurried and scattered and depleted, take a rest. Read the Bible, visit with a friend, read a really good book, or just watch a funny movie. You could even go on a trip away from it all. The school work will be there when you get back to it. Give yourself grace and mercy. Rest in Jesus and He will restore your strength.
