Homeschooling? Discouraged?

Many homeschool moms struggle with discouragement. It is easy to become discouraged when the children don’t cooperate, when you feel like you are in over your head, and when others seem to be doing so well. Is there anything that can help?

I have been a homeschooling dad for nearly 25 years and I served a church filled with homeschoolers for 12 years. I have seen discouragement. I have talked with homeschool moms who were suicidal, who wanted to leave their families, and who just wanted to quit the whole thing. Discouragement, when unresolved, is the breeding ground for serious depression. If you want to end the discouragement and avoid the depression, there are a few things you should know.

First, stop comparing yourself with others. They are not doing as well as they pretend. Many of the homeschool moms I have counseled were held up as examples for others… but they were struggling themselves! Few people want to be considered “whiners” so they put on a brave face and try to make the children behave in public. Sometimes it sends the message that things are always this good. They aren’t. We are taught to put a positive spin on the things in our lives, particularly the spiritual things, and so we tell positive things about our families. That’s fine, but it means that only one part of the truth is presented.

Comparisons are always hurtful, either to you or to others (and sometimes to both). I can guarantee that there is someone out there who wishes her family would be as good as yours. It is just the nature of the thing. You can always find something that will make you feel guilty and you can almost always find something to make yourself feel better than someone else. But don’t. It isn’t a game that you really win.

Some people get into homeschooling because of comparisons. They hope their children will “turn out as good as Susie’s”. When they see other children sitting so orderly at the restaurant or at church and they hear how respectful those children are, these parents just know that homeschooling could do the same for their own kids. Not necessarily.

I have known kids who sat quietly at church only because of the intense fear of what would happen later if they wiggled. Is that what you want your children to think about in church? Other parents maintain very orderly lives themselves and that order is simply passed on to the children. I have known homes where the soup cans are arranged in alphabetical order on the shelves. It works for them… but not for most of us.

God has made us different from others. You can’t compare yourself with others because you don’t have the background they had or the perspective on life they have. I am not an engineer and I don’t think like most engineers. If I were to compare my way of handling money, for example, with that of some engineers I know, I could get discouraged. They always know where they stand and they always seem to have more and better things. But the truth is that most of the engineers I know make much more money than I do and still they log the miles driven each day by their children and budget everything religiously. This isn’t bad, of course, but it is different… and it makes comparisons almost impossible.

You don’t win the comparison game. Someone will always do something better than you. You will have to come to the understanding that your acceptance, especially with the Lord, is not founded on how well you do. His grace is given because of our need, not because of our strength or competence.

Love your children and don’t compare them to “Susie’s”. Let them be who they are supposed to be. Follow the Lord and keep your focus on Him. You will find love and acceptance and encouragement in Him.

c David Orrison, PhD

(This is the first in a series of brief articles on homeschooling discouragement. Read the entire article and find more encouragement at www.gracefortheheart.org)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dr. David Orrison has been a homeschooling dad for nearly 25 years. He and his wife, Alice, have 8 sons. He has been a pastor for nearly 30 years and is now the director of Grace for the Heart, a ministry designed to proclaim the sufficiency of Jesus Christ in all areas of the Christian life.

Does Valentine’s Day have to be expensive? Not at all. Let me tell you a story of how my husband and I had one of the best Valentine’s Day celebrations ever by limiting ourselves to spending $10 or less.

About ten years ago, my husband Michael and I both left good jobs to begin a home-based business. Within a matter of weeks, we went from two comfortable salaries to one sporadic stream of income from our fledgling business. On the first Valentine’s Day after we became self-employed, we both knew we shouldn’t spend much on our February 14^th celebration. So we agreed to try something different. We decided to set a $5 spending limit per person for our Valentine’s Day gifts.

To a spendthrift, a $5 spending limit on Valentine’s Day would have been like the kiss of death: “What can I possibly buy for only five dollars?” For us, it became a game: “What kind of cool stuff we can come up for with less than five bucks?” Both of us enjoyed the challenge of searching out items that would fit the bill.

Michael is a woodworker, so for him it was easy. He used his time and only a little money to make me a beautiful oval frame for a wall mirror I already had. He used wood that was salvaged from discarded packing crates, 25¢ paint from a yard sale, and plans he drew up on his computer. The only thing he had to go out and buy was a dowel for putting the frame together, which cost only 76¢ at the hardware store. The end result was a beautiful mirror that hung proudly in our bedroom for many years.

For Michael, I found a desk calendar that had a different quote about love for each day. Because it was February, the calendar was on clearance for $4. I also found a woodworking book at a library discard sale for 50¢. In addition, I made him a homemade card and a plate of his favorite cookies. When you add the cost of the cookie ingredients I already had on hand, I actually went over my limit just a little but he was delighted nonetheless. In fact, we both enjoyed our gifts and the thrill of the hunt so much that we instituted the five-dollar rule for other gift giving occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries that year as well.

Are you and your loved one going through a tough time financially? Even if you’re not, is the thought of saving money more attractive to you than spending a small fortune on Valentine’s Day gifts? If so, I encourage you to try something different this year. Take the Valentine’s Day Challenge. Set a small spending limit—$5, $10 or whatever fits your budget—and agree with your spouse to give gifts that are low in cost but high in creativity.

Use any special talents you have to create a keepsake. Put your cooking skills to work to whip up an inexpensive-yet-irresistible treat in the kitchen. Shop the clearance racks to find some special something your sweetie would enjoy. Visit the secondhand stores to find a gently-used book by a favorite author or CD by a favorite artist. Use your budgeted amount to buy a gift card to the ice cream shop, coffee shop or movie rental store.

Think outside the proverbial box. Make it a game to see how you can use your creativity to give your sweetheart the most Valentine’s Day fun for the least amount of money.

About The Author:

Nancy Twigg is a speaker and author who loves inspiring others to live more simply. Adapted from Nancy’s newly revised book, Celebrate Simply: Your Guide to Simpler, More Meaningful Holidays and Special Occasions (www.celebratesimply.com). Visit Nancy online at www.countingthecost.com

Homeschool Hype!

As a homeschool dad of nearly 25 years and the pastor of a church with many homeschoolers for 12 years, I have seen a great deal of discouragement among homeschool moms. These brief articles are offered with the hope that they will shine a light on some things that are causing discouragement and provide some right words to lift hearts.

You must learn to recognize “homeschool hype”. You’ll see it come at you in two ways. One is the model family. The family on the front of the homeschool magazine is perfect, right? They all play the violin and sing regularly in the area nursing homes. The older children are holding good jobs, going to college at home, and teaching the younger children. The younger children all can sit quietly for hours without complaining. The father works a low-paying job so that he can spend more time with the family, but they have a 10 bedroom home with no mortgage. The mom has had 15 children and can still fit into the dress she wore at her high school graduation. In fact, she looks like she just graduated!

This is the model family. You might know this family. You might know some who are just about like this family. But let me tell you a secret – this family isn’t real! Oh, they exist of course, but what you see isn’t real. What you see is the result of the same kind of “retouching” done in the glossy advertisements for weight loss products.

Another way this will come at you is through formulas and promises. If you just do this – use this curriculum or product, follow this daily schedule, pray this prayer, whatever – then your success will be guaranteed. If it doesn’t work for you, you must have done something wrong. You will hear of how Johnny learned to read at 2 years old because Mom used this certain curriculum. You’ll be told how Billy was called to the ministry or went into a multi-million dollar business right out of the homeschool because the family followed a certain program. If you buy it today, at the special price, you’ll see amazing results in your own family.

This is called marketing. Just like in the commercials on TV (oh, I know, you don’t watch TV – but you still know what I mean), the people are actors and the products are usually mediocre. Sure, the family on the front of the magazine exists, but they aren’t typical. All of these things should come with that little caveat, “Results not typical!” It is the nature of marketing to oversell, to stretch the truth so that you desire the product. But it is still just hype! Don’t ever expect to live up to someone’s marketing hype.

I have counseled with some of these “model families” and have heard how they struggle to maintain that image. They don’t want anyone to know the truth and they pay a high price to make it look real. I have seen some of these wonderful products at garage sales and used bookstores. Some of them have just the first few pages filled out and then they were obviously abandoned. I have seen the results of some of these programs and have heard how people were told that the program didn’t work because they didn’t follow “all of it”.

Homeschooling has become an industry and many families spend thousands of dollars on books or programs because they want the very best for their children. Like any other industry where money can be made, homeschooling is overflowing with marketing hype. Instead of being overwhelmed by all that is offered, why not just relax and enjoy your children? Follow the Lord instead of someone’s program and use materials that connect with your kids. You don’t have to be perfect and you don’t have to have the latest gimmick.

And, remember, the Lord accepts you and loves you without the hype. You don’t have to be the “model family” to be acceptable to Him.

c David Orrison, PhD

(This is the first in a series of brief articles on homeschooling discouragement. Read the entire article and find more encouragement at www.gracefortheheart.org)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dr. David Orrison has been a homeschooling dad for nearly 25 years. He and his wife, Alice, have 8 sons. He has been a pastor for nearly 30 years and is now the director of Grace for the Heart, a ministry designed to proclaim the sufficiency of Jesus Christ in all areas of the Christian life.

Everyone gets stuck in a rut professionally at one time or another. Sometimes it’s just a temporary state of mind, which passes quickly and you soon find yourself back on track after a weekend off or a holiday break. But what happens when that feeling inside does not pass? You start to realize that you are unhappy more than you are happy. The job you once loved, just doesn’t excite you anymore. You get up in the morning dreading going to work and once you get there, you just can’t concentrate. You find yourself becoming what you thought you’d never would when you took that job, a 9-5 clock-watcher.  

 

Well, buckle your seatbelt. It’s time to take the Career Change Challenge and see if you need a career change boost. Take the simple quiz below and see how many apply to you. 

 

The Top 10 Signs it’s Time for a Career Change: 

 

1) You no longer feel excited about going to work.  

2) You find yourself daydreaming during meetings.  

3) You leave a bit early or sneak in a bit late.  

4) You aren’t as thorough as you once were when it comes to completing projects or meeting deadlines.  

5) You aren’t feeling challenged anymore – your workday is just a routine.  

6) You call in sick more often.  

7) You haven’t come up with a new idea or procedure in months.  

You go through the motions at work and put in minimum effort. 

9) You surf the Internet looking at other opportunities when you should be working.  

10) You make more personal calls on company time just to make the day go faster.  

 

If you saw yourself in more of these than you’d like to admit, perhaps it’s time to consider making that change and finding that passion again. It’s time to decide if the right move for you is pulling out the classifieds and finding a new position in your field or perhaps finally taking the plunge you’ve always dreamed of and starting your own business. Entrepreneurship, being your own boss, financial independence, it sounds too good to be true. But it’s not. 

 

For those wanting to start their business, it is important to find the right home-based business. You need to match your skills and experience with the business that will leave you the most satisfied and also one that will give you the greatest profits. One option that many career-minded individuals are turning to is starting a business in the lucrative educational industry. With the right skills and tools, you could become a home-based tutor broker and match qualified tutors with students in your area.  

 

One of the reasons this is such a good business opportunity is the demand for qualified tutors is at an all time high. Nationwide, parents spent $5 billion to $7 billion on tutoring sessions last year, an 18 percent increase from 2005 according to the Education Industry Association. Five years ago there were approximately 800,000 tutors nationwide, today there are approximately 2 million tutors according to the National Tutoring Association. As you can see, now would be the perfect time to start your own business in this thriving Industry. 

 

Laurie Hurley of Home Tutoring Business http://www.hometutoringbusiness.com is one such tutor broker. She contracts with qualified tutors and matches them with students in need of one-on-one tutoring. She has successfully connected hundreds of students with dedicated, professional teachers and tutors and is now offering her effective business procedures to entrepreneurs looking for a strong business with great earning potential. 

 

So if you know it’s time for a career change, look to starting your own business. Find a business with lots of support, the tools needed to begin and succeed, and also a proven track record of success. 2007 can be your most profitable and enjoyable year ever. 

 

About The Author:

Laurie Hurley has been featured in national magazines including Entrepreneur Magazine’s Summer Start-Up Guide, Woman’s World, Family Circle, Family Fun, Parenting and more. Her site at http://www.hometutoringbusiness.com offers detailed information on getting started in your own tutoring brokering business. For additional information contact Hurley at info@hometutoringbusiness.com

Telecommuters are individuals who spend part, if not all, of their working hours at another location other than the workplace. For most people it is their home. In order to do this one must have a variety of “telecommunication technologies” such as a telephone, Internet, various computer programs and a fax machine at one’s disposal.  

 

Telecommuters need to have excellent skills when it comes to the laborious task of telephone interviews. The first most important phone interview tip is to always be prepared in case you are contacted for an interview, no matter what time of day it is. Many employers do not give telecommuters the heads up in advance about when they will be calling to speak with them. 

 

Another important phone interview tip is to get ready for your interview in much the same way you would for a regular “in person” interview. Anticipate what questions you might be asked and have appropriate answers in your mind (or written on paper) before the interview even begins. Be ready and willing to answer questions about your educational background, work experience and skills. Also be prepared to tell the prospective recruiter or employer what you could do for him or her. 

 

Prepare a list of questions you wish to ask the interviewer. Always ask at least a few questions as it shows that you are paying attention and that you are very interested in the position in question. Keep in mind that phone interviews are sometimes more difficult to gage because you have to rely completely on the spoken word. Neither the interview nor interviewee is able to pick up on body language or any nuances of behavior but instead must go by the words and questions they are presented with and the pitch and intonation of words. Tread carefully and maintain a balanced, professional and courteous tone of voice at all times.  

 

It is essential in a phone interview for a telecommuter to speak as a person in the know. Don’t indulge in too many “ums”, “okays”, “I don’t knows” or “uhs” as these words don’t carry with them an air of knowledge or confidence. Always have your resume nearby so you can consult it during your phone interview. After all the interviewer is looking at your resume, why shouldn’t you be as well? 

 

Other important tips include turning your call-waiting feature off so there are no interruptions; making sure you are alone in the room and there is no noise anywhere nearby to disturb the interview and having a notepad and paper handy to jot down any relevant information that you glean from the interview. 

 

About the Author:

Charissa Bear is the owner of http://www.momsinc.biz, a work at home mom resource site dedicated to helping moms find home based careers.  

At the present time there is an estimated “100,000 home-based phone representatives” employed throughout the United States. According to predictions made by the Gartner Group, it is believed that by the end of 2006 approximately ten percent of all call centers scattered throughout the United States will be relying on the skills and services of work at home call center agents for the widespread success of their businesses.  

 

Call centers are becoming a bigger and better industry all of the time. They comprise a large percentage of the customer service work that many companies engage in. In a general way a call center refers to “a variety of actual business functions, ranging from call centers designed to handle customer calls, tech support systems, help desks, or even outbound customer call agents.” Call center agents (work at home or on site employees) are trained to manage many ‘call’-types, including regular telephone inquiries, faxes, e-mails and web requests.  

 

Many call centers find that costs are lowered and the overall efficiency of a business is increased when work is “home sourced” out to work at home call center agents. Also referred to as “working remotely” these at home or remote agents often are more productive and happier and also report greater levels of job satisfaction than those who work in other capacities. Walking hand in hand with these positive characteristics is the fact that work at home call center agents tend to be loyal to their companies and not as likely to be jumping from job to job. In a lot of ways these agents get the best of both worlds- they get to have their cake and eat it too.  

 

A remote agent is loosely defined as a “call center or help desk employee working away from the main office, either occasionally or full-time.” Some people simply think of work at home call center agents as telecommuters who do their work from their own home instead of in the office.  

 

Call centers that make the decision to institute a remote agent program experience many benefits from giving their employees the opportunity to be work at home call center agents. These benefits include the necessity for less office space (which is a definite money saver); the ability to both bring in and hold onto key agents; voice communication via the telephone when a work emergency should arise; constant support and feedback between employer and agent; a link from office to office and the ability for the company to hire temporary and seasonal staff as well as disabled individuals. Finally working from home has been shown through a variety of studies to increase levels of productivity and to allow for easier flexibility for scheduling work hours for agents.

 

About the Author:

Charissa Bear is the owner of http://www.momsinc.biz, a work at home mom resource site dedicated to helping moms find home based careers.  

1. Dryer sheets: you know you can use them more than once, right? My idea: as soon as you get a new box, cut them all in half. That way you won’t feel bad buying the “name brand”. (I still buy the “off brand” and save so much money.) 

2. S.O.S./Brillo Pads: Once again, cut them in half. They ruin anyway most of the time before you finish one. 

3. Washing/Drying clothes: Only do a full load! I know it is tempting to throw that outfit in there because you want to wear it tomorrow or your teen just has to have it ready, resist the urge, save money!!! 

4. Sign up for Bank of America’s “Keep the Change” program. I don’t usually throw out brands but this is a great idea! Who carries cash anymore? This will be your “money jar”. The way this works is when you pay for something using their debit card and say the total price is $2.09, 91 cents will be deposited into your savings account. You can do one better. When you pump your gas, go over by one cent. This way you can deposit 99 cents each time. You get the idea! Bank of America also has a debit/credit card register to keep up with your balances. There is a place to put your card and it is like a small check register to write down ALL purchases! 

5. Errands: Make a plan. Don’t rush out. Take just a few minutes and make a list of where you are going this week, try to combine trips so as not to waste gas. Write numbers beside each task to show which errand will be first, second, etc. This will save a lot on gas! Carpooling is even better!!! 

6. Dry Erase Board: This saves paper and your sanity. I keep one on the back of my front door and one beside my computer.  

7. Unplug those phone chargers! You know you are using electricity even though you don’t have your phone charging don’t you? 

8. Freecycle. If you are not a member you need to be. This is a yahoo group. Sign up to get emails from those wanting to get rid of something and to send emails for things you want to give away. People are willing to pick up what you consider “trash“. How simple is that? 

9. That water you waste waiting for it to get hot in the sink? SAVE IT! You will be amazed at how much water you are paying for to go down the drain! Keep a large bowl handy and put it in the sink to “catch” the water. Use it to water plants, put it in your washer before washing clothes, water your pets, etc.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Hi, I’m Brenda Ludecke. I have been married for 22 years. I have three young men, Josh, 21, Caleb, 19 and Ben, 17. NO MORE Mortgage

Ahhhhh, Emotions. The very thought of the word can wear you out! Our emotions are ever present within us: they define our inner world and give us continual interpretations of the outer world. Our awareness of life itself, begins with emotions. 

 

Emotions come with great intensity, and we ALL struggle with them. The cliché holds true, “Can’t live with them, can’t live without them!” Our emotions can be controlled when we focus on taking them captive (2 Corinthians 10:5), but it is much more difficult to put anger, jealousy, fear, loneliness, or sadness, out of your mind.  

 

When we are filled with anger over a situation, it is the force of that emotion that preoccupies us, not the actual event that caused us to be angry. Think for a moment about nature. In a balanced way, water is vital when it comes to supplying our reservoirs, or keeping crops alive for our food supply, but when to much rain produces floods or we are faced with a Tsunami, it is tremendously destructive. We can even be faced with the opposite extreme, where there is no water and we are faced with losing countless lives due to drought conditions. Similarly, wind can be comforting on a beautiful day as you enjoy the soft breeze, and it is so thrilling when you can enjoy its subtle power in sailing the oceans, but a tornado or hurricane can take thousands of lives within minutes. Fire can be critical when it is needed to keep us warm in the dead of winter, but when it burns down miles of forestry or burns down the home of someone you love, it is extremely devastating. The forces of nature are perfect and productive in “balance,” but under extreme conditions, they are no longer of benefit, but a terrible reminder of what chaos can occur when nature becomes unstable. When the forces of nature are used in a positive, balanced manner, they are welcomed in every way, but when they become extreme in one way or another, out of balance, we want no part of anything nature has to offer. In fact, the shear thought of unbalanced forces of nature creates a fear within us, if we are even able to anticipate their arrival. Before the hurricane, tornado, forest fire, or flood arrives to create destruction in our world, it is not the event in itself that drives our emotions, but the force of fear and all the feelings it brings with it that penetrates the depths of our being. The event may actually never occur, but the fear that it “might” produces a world of chaos within us. And you simply cannot put fear “out of your mind.” We cannot escape our emotions, they drive themselves, and the only way to overcome them, is to manage them. Just like many times we cannot escape a tornado that strikes in the middle of the night, or a Tsunami that comes without warning, our emotions will come unexpectedly, and so we must deal with them and learn to manage them. 

 

In managing our emotions we need to first learn where they come from and why we even have them. How many times do we hear, “Women are so emotional!” As if there is something seriously wrong with us! “This world” has decided that emotions make you “inferior” or “weaker.” Well, I’ve got news for you, God is far from inferior or weak, and He created us in His own image!  

 

So God created people in his own image; God patterned them after himself; 

male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27 (NLT) 

 

Now, not only does truth say that He created us in His image, it goes further to say that God “patterned” us after Himself. According to Webster’s Dictionary, “patterned” means, a reliable sample of traits, acts, tendencies, or other observable characteristics of a person, group, or institution. So there you have it, God is “emotional!” Of course He is, how could God be “love” if He wasn’t?” 

 

But anyone who does not love does not know God–for God is love. 1 John 4:8 

 

We are also told that He keeps His love for us balanced, because He disciplines those He loves.  

 

For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes those he accepts as his children.” Hebrews 12:6 

 

Emotions are a “characteristic” of His very being. He is our source. So our question now is, what is their purpose, and how do we manage them? And how can we use them as an instrument to display the character of God through our lives. 

 

We can see the purpose of emotions when they are used in a way that exhibits the very nature of God. Our emotions can be beneficial and reflect the very nature of God when our emotions of sadness can give empathy for someone incurring loss or grief, or the emotion of love moves us to reach out to those in need. We can see the extremes of our emotions when we witness anger vs. calmness, love vs. hatred, fear vs.confidence, shame vs. shamelessness, and kindness vs. unkindness. Let me list most of the emotions we encounter and you will find why we are so exhausted by them! 

 

Acceptance, Agitation, Alarm, Amusement, Anger, Anticipation, Apathy, Apprehension, Awe, Bitterness, Boredom, Calmness, Comfort, Contentment, Confidence, Courage, Depression, Disappointment, Discontentment, Disgust, Desire, Delight, Elation, Euphoria, Embarrassment, Envy, Fear, Frustration, Glee, Gladness, Gratitude, Grief, Guilt, Hate, Happiness, Homesickness, Honor, Hope, Horror, Humility, Joy, Jealousy, Kindness, Loneliness, Love, Lust, Modesty, Nervousness, Negativity, Nostalgia, Pain, Patience, Peace, Phobia, Pity, Pride, Rage, Remorse, Sadness, Self-pity, Shame, Shyness, Sorrow, Shock, Surprise, Suspense, Terror, Unhappiness, and Worry 

 

I don’t know about you, but just reading these wear me out, and if you’re someone who prides yourself on doing “checklists” in life, then feel free to check every one of these off, because EVERY being, man or woman, has experienced every single one of these emotions. It is when we manage our emotions in a way that is in agreement with the character of God that our emotions can become our greatest asset. You might think, how can the so called, “negative emotions” be moved in a direction that is positive in our lives. Agitation can cause us to not join in conversations with or walk away from an ungodly person, anger can keep us from remaining in an abusive relationship, boredom can move us out of our comfort zone and challenge us to move higher in our relationship with God, disgust can keep us from watching inappropriate programs on television, homesickness can drive us to return to those we love, jealousy can spur us to try and spend more time with our spouse and focus on our relationship with them, and worry, well that’s a tough one, but we can be reminded to give ALL our worries and cares to God, and it can bring us into a closer relationship and walk with Him. (1 Peter 5:6-7) And there is nothing more beneficial for your life.  

 

Too often however, we find that when our emotions are left unsupervised, they are like an ocean, our emotions tend to come and go out like the tide. One moment we are surging forward consuming everything in our path and the next moment we are rushing back, leaving the debris behind us everywhere. 

 

Made in the image of God means using the wisdom of our truth, God’s Word, to direct and control our emotions in such a way that we reflect His image. The paradigm between wisdom and emotion is “proper timing.” Wisdom is always waiting for the appropriate time to act, while emotion always pushes us to act now! Wisdom will look at how our decision, or act on our emotions will affect the future. Emotions are only concerned with the here and now. In overcoming and managing our emotions, it is definitely not easy. We are going to require the help of God, the source of our emotions. There is one way and one way only to manage your emotions and that is to control them before they ever get “out of control.” We do this by filling our minds with Truth, meditation night and day on the Word of God. 

 

Just because I feel like someone is looking at me or talking about me, doesn’t mean they are. Just because I feel lonely, doesn’t necessarily mean I am, and just because I feel hopeless, doesn’t mean there is no hope. We must test these “feelings” that are driven by our emotions against the Word of God and determine if they are Truth. If we find our emotions are not valid, then we can direct our minds on those things (Philippians 4:8) that are Truth, and we are able to overcome those emotions.  

 

I am convinced that God’s greatest purpose for our emotions is so that we could feel His presence, so that we could feel His comfort, so that we could feel His joy, so that we could feel His embrace, so that we could feel His love, without us ever being physically touched, at all. Now that is a God of love, never leaving us or forsaking us, and if you have never “felt” Him in your life, draw close to Him, and He will draw close to you.

 

About the Author:

Cherie Hill is the founder of ScriptureNow.com. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and is pursuing a Certificate in Biblical Counseling through the American Association of Christian Counseling.  She is a Licensed Registered Counselor and a member of the AACC.   As a published author (Be Still: Let Jesus Calm Your Storms), Christian Magazine Columnist, and Freelance writer for EZRAweb.com , Cherie devotes her time to listening to God’s voice and bringing His messages into her writing. She has been counseling believers and unbelievers over the past several years and has seen the miracles of God come from helping people around the world learn to apply the Word of God in their lives.

Have you ever had a morning like this in the middle of your kitchen before school? Let’s listen in on the conversation: 

 

“I said no,” the mom exclaimed to her five year old daughter. “But mom, I was just saying…” She tries to explain her point until she gets her own way. “When I say no, it means no. Why do you need to have the last word? Why do you always insist on getting your own way all the time. It’s the middle of the winter, it’s so cold outside your nose hairs freeze to the inside of your nose, and I said you are not going to school with a short sleeve shirt and spring jacket.” She still wasn’t done with her lecture. 

 

“Don’t you know that I tell you these things because I love you and it’s for your own good? Why do you have to fight me every step of the way when I’m only trying to help you?”  

 

“But mmm-ooo-mmm.” A look of pure defiance comes across her daughter’s face. “Please let me tell you something.” “What?” She asked. “The school is real warm inside and I want to wear my new spring clothes…they are my fashion.”  

 

Silence. You could hear a pin drop. She was running late getting her daughter out the door for school and this mom’s level of patience are not too great first thing in the morning. I’m sure if you stuffed that mom’s head in the snowbank outside, it would melt from the steam rolling off the top of her beautiful morning hair. 

 

She used her ‘mommy’s had enough, and if you don’t do what I ask you’re gonna be in some real, big trouble voice.’ 

 

And from between her clenched teeth she simply said, “Put your sweater and your winter coat on and go with daddy so he can drop you off at school.” 

 

Her daughter looked her in the eye and saw that she meant business. The conversation was over and I don’t think anyone had ever witnessed a kid change her clothes so fast in their life!  

 

If you have children, I’m sure you’ve had a struggle similar to the one I played out above. Wouldn’t it just make your day if you asked something of your child and you immediately heard, “Okay mommy.” What a difference that would have made in the whole morning if that little girl would have just trusted her mother’s judgement enough to agree with, and do what she was told. 

 

Why are children so obstinate? Well, it’s their nature. They will push you to the limit until they find that they can push no harder. Kids want their own way… 

 

But, what about us? How many times has the Lord laid something on our hearts that He wanted us to do or stop doing; and we argue with Him as to why we cannot do or stop doing that thing?  

 

The Lord is not out to hurt us, He is out for our own good. And when He says something, we should just obey with no questions asked. But, a lot of the time we are as children. We want our own way. We’re worried about our own agendas.  

 

Let’s say God laid on our hearts to preach the gospel…to go out there and speak in front of people.  

 

“Lord, you know I’m scared to death to speak in public. That can’t be what you want me to do! I would look silly up there, with my face all red and gasping for my next word. That’s not my fashion..it’s not my style.”  

 

Well, God knows what’s best. He knows the plans He has for your life. But, we sometimes act like the little girl who doesn’t want to dress for the right season, because she’s afraid how she will look to others. But, her mother knows that she will be too cold if she ventures outside dressed like that.  

 

What if we had the faith and obedient heart of Abraham? Genesis 22:1-19  

The obedience of wise old Noah; 

Genesis 6:13-22 

What about Shadrach, Meshach, and AbedNego? 

Daniel 3 

And my personal favorite…Joshua! 

The walls came tumbling down in: Joshua 6 

 

I pray that the next time God taps on your shoulder, you’ll simply say, “Okay.”  

 

What a difference your obedient attitude will make in your walk with Christ! This attitude makes our Father well pleased….just as when our own children listen and have an obedient attitude towards us, while we are guiding them each day.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Erika is the editor of http://www.countryhomemaking.com. Visit her site for family favorite recipes, cooking and kitchen tips, articles and more! Erika also writes books and articles besides running her website on topics spanning, working from home, Christianity, and everyday issues to do with motherhood and keeping house.

“You’re driving HOW many hours with three children?” Looks of horror or sympathy often accompany this reaction when our friends learn we are taking yet another road trip.  

 

Sure we enjoyed flying, when there were only two of us. But soon after our first child became a full-fare airline passenger at the age of two, we realized that driving would be far less of a strain on the family budget. We purchased a minivan and our destiny was sealed: we were officially a road trip family. 

 

With a little advanced planning, the journey can be something of an adventure rather than an ordeal. Here are eight tips for planning an extended car trip with your children: 

 

1. Kids enjoy being a part of the planning process. Involve them in mapping the route and talk about the attractions you might visit. There are even child-friendly maps and atlases available for your child to track the journey. 

 

2. Pack water bottles and juice boxes in a small ice chest, along with healthy (and not too messy) snacks like cheese sticks, grapes and pretzels. Packing entire meals is a good option if you are adverse to the idea of fast food, but the trade-off is you’ll probably have to squeeze a larger ice chest in your vehicle.  

 

3. Get your toddler or preschooler accustomed to going to the restroom when everyone else does. For the very newly toilet-trained, consider bringing a potty chair that can be used in an “emergency.” And don’t forget to bring along hand sanitizer and toilet seat covers for rest stops and gas stations.  

 

4. Let your child choose two or three favorite toys that will fit in their backpack or tote bag. Avoid toys with lots of small parts that can easily be lost. And if you’ve ever tried to remove melted crayon from upholstery, you’ll know not to leave any crayons in a hot car.  

 

5. Provide special travel games or activity books that are new to your child just for the trip. Rather than giving them several toys at once, doling out individual toys at intervals throughout your journey will help your child appreciate each new thing and increase its enjoyment.  

 

6. If you’re fortunate enough to have a DVD player in your vehicle, allow your child to pick out a few movies and bring along a never-before-seen movie or two in addition to the favorites. Headphones can be invaluable for those times when the driver wants to listen to a CD or audio book without being drowned out by the kids’ flicks.  

 

7. Allow time for “stretch” breaks. This could mean a longer meal at a restaurant with a play area, a romp in the grass at a rest area, or a short walk around a scenic viewpoint. We find that our grown-up legs need to work out the wiggles just as much as our little ones’ do. If you’re driving for more than a day and staying overnight at a hotel, find one with a pool or playground for the kids to burn off energy. They’ll have something to look forward to and should sleep well that night. 

 

8. Keep a positive attitude. At some point the kids will probably whine or get restless. An impromptu game of “I spy” or “Twenty Questions” or even a silly song can often break the monotony.  

 

Too soon the experience will be over and life’s routines take over once again. The memory of the endless expanse of highway fades and you’ll find yourself making plans once more… for the next family road trip.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Celia Fielding is a mother of three and Communications Director for http://traveltoys4kids.com, an online store featuring award-winning activity books and games for families on the go. Her family recently enjoyed a 15-hour road trip from Central Texas to Arizona.