It’s now been over five months since our family (and many others) commenced the era of perpetual staying at home. We work from home; order everything but our groceries to be delivered at home; leave the house only to exercise within five kilometres of our home; and day after repetitive day, we educate our children at home.
Home education has been a learning curve – for all of us! I am relearning maths methods, scientific laws, and spelling rules. I now know the real history of the Korean War, not just what I gleaned from MASH; we’ve all enjoyed cool science experiments (setting tea bags on fire and pouring mentos into diet coke bottles); and did you know the Vikings discovered America?
But while all this is interesting, perhaps my favourite part of home education has been getting to know our children better, seeing their personality come out in their approach to work, and noticing their interests and strengths. My biggest lesson? Our children are different from me! (Surprising, isn’t it?!) They have different interests, skills, and areas of strength and weakness from me. While I am hopeless at art, my children are brilliantly creative, and I can imagine at least one of them becoming a children’s book illustrator. On the other hand, I love grammar, but my children groan at the least mention of anything grammar-related.
This season has taught me more about myself, too. I’ve had to face the ugly reality of my inadequacy and my impatience. I’m not always the most understanding or gracious teacher. I sometimes forget that while something may be very obvious and easy to me, it may not be instantly grasped by a child who has only done a few years of school!
The realisation of my impatience has caused me to marvel at the extent of our heavenly Father’s patience with us, his children. God’s patience is a recurrent theme all through Scripture – from Genesis 3, when He could have struck down Adam and Eve on the spot for their disobedience but instead gave them a promise of a Saviour, through to Romans 2:4 and 2 Peter 3:14, which remind us that the apparent delay in God’s judgement is an exhibition of His patience in waiting for us to repent. We read of Israel’s wilderness wanderings, their repeated idolatry and their doubting of God’s goodness, and we notice the disciples’ slowness to understand Jesus’ true mission, and it’s oh-so-easy for us to judge them – if we were God, we would have given up on them and tried again with someone else! But He is patient, and it’s just as well because we all need it!
There is a gap between my academic ability and my children’s, and at times that causes me frustration. But there is an infinitely larger gap between God’s standards and my ability to reach them! I am slow at learning the lessons He teaches, and my progress on the road to holiness and Christ-like character is disappointing. He has every reason to be frustrated with me, and yet, He is patient!
I take immense comfort in the words of Psalm 103:
“The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love…He does not treat us as our sins deserve…As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust” (vv. 8,10,13-14).
God knows our limitations, and still He regards us with love and compassion. His patient, kind, and gracious parenting and teaching of me is a wondrous example for me as I relate to my children. Though it’s an example I fall short of every day, He has grace for that too.
“From everlasting to everlasting the LORD‘s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children – with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts” (Psalm 103:17-18).
May we be those who love and fear the LORD, keep His covenant, and experience the blessing of His love for us and our families.
by C. Deanne
