Peace Adds, Busyness Takes Away: Part III

Hi De Ho! Here is Part III of my guest series on Little Acre. I hope you have enjoyed the series. Happy autumn everyone, the picture below is of our daughters. : )

 

Years ago, some of my fondest memories were of me with my little girls at a friends home, a friend who also had little girls. Another friend of ours, Peggy, was there with her girls too. The homeschool climate then? We were pioneer homeschool moms. It was a time when men were going to jail for their family's right to homeschool. Our girls were sitting around the table cutting out pictures of mammals from National Geographic magazines and such. That was as far into outclassing as we went, our little girls were happy as little larks.

The sweetest times ever also included taking my little girls into the little old town to Mrs.. Blount's house for piano lessons. Piano lessons was their one extra lesson. Mrs.. Blount was a sweet Christian woman who would end up being like a grandmother to my girls and confidant' of mine. Oh how we loved that saint of God! Her life stories from WWII and her accounts of black-outs in the city were amazing, her remembrance of a little girl in her class from England sent here by relatives for safety. We marveled at pictures of her as a young woman, she had been a Greer Garson look alike. We marveled at the strength and faith in the Lord she had as a young widow left with three children. What a special friend! I always stressed to our girls, we can have friends of all ages, younger and older!

We lived in the country then too, and at first as a young mother I would worry that my girls were not having enough playtime with other children. Our oldest little girls, Lea and Marianna, now twenty-nine and twenty-seven were around five and seven at the time said.."Mommy, we have each other". They will still tell me, they had a precious childhood, they never even thought anything else ever. Remember too, John the Baptist was an only child and was raised in the desert!
Back then Jonathan Lindvall was a great help in his encouragements as well. His tapes helped confirm things in my heart as I was on bed rest with our fourth baby homeschooling from the couch.

Things I regret?

When we moved into the suburbs for a season we naively and unknowingly entered into some support group twaddle busy-busy activities that provided stress that really should not have ever been. It was a slight, subtle case of The Emperor's New Clothes. Thank God I realized that the Emperor was naked and we wised up to some of the unnecessary busyness and pressure. Isn't one of the beauties of homeschooling the sweet peaceful life? This is not to pick on every extra activity, although I will ask,

"What are you doing that for?"

I ask that often..."What are we doing this for?" "Why?" ...Remember the little boy who asked why? Well you can call me, the mom who asked and keeps asking why.

 His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

Take the Peace,

take the joy.

Step off the gerbil wheel. Let Christ be your everything. Let's keep our homes a place of praise to the Lord. Live, laugh, and love in Jesus our Savior. Pray, talking to the Father always. You and your children giving thanks through folding laundry, or singing hymns when washing dishes and cooking. Praise His name all ye people! Remember, His yoke is easy and His burden is light; we need only to rest comfortably under it, and keep in step with the quiet gentle pace of our Savior.

…………….

Comments are always appreciated and welcomed!  They are a gift to my heart!   ~Amelia

Peace Adds, Busyness Takes Away: Part II

Hello Friends, This is Part II of my guest post previously posted at Amanda's blog, Little Acre.  Enjoy and be blessed...

Not long ago, I picked up my old freshman high school yearbook. In it were things that grieved my spirit. There were things that were winked at in that school that, as a Christian, I do not want any part of now. There was a coldness about it all...

Idolization of high academics,

rock and roll dances and Malibu tanned girls.

Even as I type this I cringe.

Unfortunately, much of our area homeschool group looks similar now. The lure of the world,

the pride of man,

wanting to fit in.

Grown women wanting to fit in. Grown women wanting to put academics on the throne and put the Lord to the side. Grown women shunning godly sweet things in favor of fitting into a very wide, sick culture. Imagine such a thing? But it can happen if we are not careful. Oh yes, you too can grow your own Tower of Babel right in your own backyard, or even in your heart!

 

How do we avoid the Tower of Babel Syndrome? Spending time with the Lord and His Word. Knowing that many times if the Herd is doing something or going a certain way, maybe we had better take a second look. Follow the Word not the Herd!

Realizing that if things are a supposed given, it may not be exactly God's plan or given for you, and most likely it shouldn't even be a given at all.

Have you ever seen the book titled "Stop the Christmas Machine"? Well, I would like to warn, "Stop the Modern Homeschool Machine". Consider everything you do. Don't be a discontent mom; be a mature, content mom, be a sweet, cheerful mom. Laughing with our kids is a beautiful thing, joking with our kids is a beautiful thing! Making a mess can be a beautiful thing! But sometimes from what I see it's not laughing, cheerful, joyful, moms, it's immature laughing moms all too eager to enter into gossip and an addictive, empty need to run the roads, all the while displaying a make believe badge of busyness.

It's sad but true. We need to stop and take heed, and *gasp* …

be willing to stand alone.

We must be secure in Jesus alone.

We need to teach our children it's okay to stand alone.

Consider and pray, pray and consider.

Plod along peacefully.

Remember, if we are too busy to have dinner as a family, to cook healthy meals, then we are probably too busy.

The most peaceful homes I know of are of women plodding along intentionally, sweetly, making their homes a place of peace and praise. How many outside classes do we need?

Do we need any?

Whatever happened to homemaking? Whatever happened to venerating the idea of sons in a good hands on job, perhaps to be a good honorable farmer with skill? When is the last time we heard anything like that?

What does the Lord want?

Whose voice will we heed?

Will we be still enough,

long enough to spend that time with the Lord to hear His still small Voice?

Will our sons and daughters know that still small Voice?

Who is speaking louder to our hearts, the Lord or society?

………

Photos taken of Amelia and her husband and the beautiful views at their home and what she calls her Forest Cathedral.  You can find her at My Forest Cathedral where she blogs about her thoughts and perceptions on day to day life as she walks with her  Savior in her journey to simplicity where He is All.

And, If you have a vision for a Godly home; are seeking a home of Peace and Joy, where the heart of Jesus is reflected, you can find her writing over at; A Vision for a Godly Home.

Peace Adds, Busyness Takes Away: Part I

Following is a three-part guest post I had prayerfully written for Amanda at 'Little Acre' blog.  I thought I would share here since Amanda saw fit to close down Little Acre blog.  I do hope you enjoy the posts and that God is glorified as we as Children of the Father cling to Him for direction in our daily lives listening ever so carefully...       ~Amelia   

Peace Adds, Busyness Takes Away: Part I

 

Peace Adds, Busyness Takes Away: Part I

Lately as I've approached my middle aged years, at the age of 51 I realize that time really does fly as the older generation had warned me.  My "baby" who actually titled this article for me? She's eighteen now and is finishing up homeschooling this summer, as far as the traditional definition of education.

Those of us who homeschool from our hearts know that education never stops though, it's ongoing…

The quiet hours as of late have lent to much contemplation, much thinking of our sweet homeschool of over twenty-two years.
As I was making the decision over twenty-two years ago to homeschool, I remember standing in the massive library with my little girls and then newborn in her infant seat staring at the small section of homeschool books. There in that quiet most stoic place, where as my dad says, it's the kind of place that makes you want to spit your gum out, I was facing the consternation of our church for even considering homeschooling. Our good friends, who I now realize were merely acquaintances, dropped us, much as if we were building an ark in our backyard.

I knew the sweetness was pulling at my heart then though. I knew the solitude I was feeling was a sweet one, the Lord was right there holding my hand. That's not to say that there would not be doubts, but the Lord won out. One July Sunday in one of our favorite lunch spots, the pastor's wife made the comment loudly from across the room to me almost mockingly, her words were loud: "Are you still going to homeschool Amelia? We have a sweet teacher for Lea's grade this year..." The words were said in a nanny-nanny-boo-boo...sing-song way as our anti-ark acquaintances grinned like Cheshire cats at me from across our round table. After our lunch, as we were driving home, I shared with my husband my new doubts even though my new Bob Jones curriculum was shining brightly at home. I even verbalized and entertained the idea that maybe I should send the curriculum back. My husband wisely said;

"The Bible says a double minded man is unstable in all his ways"

Wow. He was right. End of story. It was as if the Lord clicked his heels and brought me back to Heavenly thinking on the subject and away from the land of doubt. I'm so ashamed now that the enemy had so easily discouraged me then! I was almost robbed of such a lifelong blessing!

Throughout life we have choices.

Every day we have choices.

Heaven or Harvard?

Busyness or Peace?

Popularity with man,

or Peace and fellowship with God?

Sweetness or worldly culture?

If we are going to have a sweet godly home then we must be intentional. Intentional about what? Intentional about keeping things sweet and peaceful in the Lord. Keeping Jesus number One. For an Audience of One. Talk to God, talk to Him a lot and keep Him on that throne.

Our will or His will?