(#5)

How Much

Time Should This

Season Be?

Good question. Again, no one can give you an answer. In fact I'd love to hear from some of you about how long it took you! How much time did you spend each day (on the average) and how long (as in weeks or months) did you spend on it? (I can guarantee it won't be a matter of mere "days.")

If you have babies or toddlers, just plan on it taking longer to go through this season than you'd probably really like it to.  But rest in the fact that God knows your needs, your ability to read and absorb, and your time availability.

There's no "set time" to take for this "season" (or "course"), but the more deeply embedded your roots are in "the system," the longer it will probably take for everything to "sink in" ~ unless you're unusually good at "letting go" quickly.  I'm not, so it took longer for me.  Plus no one even told me I was in such a season!  And, of course no one gave me a roadmap such as what I am giving you here because most of the resources weren't even written back then!  Most of the authors were still learning and experiencing everything themselves!

I'd like to share with you the thoughts of one mom who's in the process of this season, even thought I'm not sure she's actually in it!  (which I've found to often be the case!)  However she has all the "heart symptoms" and it is OBVIOUS that God is doing a VERY good work in her!

"I just wanted to say how much I am thankful to the Lord for your ministry. My husband and I had such a different view of homeschooling when we decided to do it. I have been reading Wisdoms Way of Learning, most of the articles on your website and in the Jumpstart Navigator, and I can feel a slow metamorphosis happening in my heart. What started out as just a thought that homeschooling would be a cheaper and "probably" better choice for our family, has turned into conviction and a passion in my heart to raise my children in the admonition of the Lord, and the choice to homeschool even if we had the money for private school. There is so much information to take in, it's a slow process, but a very exciting one. There have been moments of sadness over how off-track our parenting and home has been, but the Lord is full of grace and mercy, He is a patient loving teacher.
May God bless you and keep you, Chris M."

The funny thing is that people don't usually even know just how deeply embedded their roots are in "the system" until this process begins!  And as Chris said, it can be a slow process. 

As you proceed through this season, you may feel anger or fear rising up, a churning unrest that's often present, confusion, or a combination of these.  But please do not allow the enemy to rip you off at this point by believing the lies he will feed you that you don't have time for this.  OK?!  That's where the enemy tries to ensnare, frustrate, and overwhelm many moms – because of how pressed for time most mothers are! This is especially true if you have younger and/or many children.

Ask God to show you the way that will work for you. You certainly don't want to neglect your family or your home. But the problem is that, in the name of not neglecting their families in the nitty-gritty areas of home life, many end up unintentionally neglecting them in the nitty-gritty area of "soul life" – overburdening their children with a supposedly (but not truly) "educational" burden that Jesus never recommended or intended, robbing them of the delight in learning and joy of life!  I assure you...

This is going to take much more time to UN-do than it would have taken you to put yourself through a "season of re-education" in which your mind and heart would have been renewed, your children thus directed in the way the Lord wanted to take them rather than having to spend a lot of time attempting to undo and redo!

So how much time should this season take?  As much as it takes. Period. You'll know when it's time to not be so intense in your seeking and pressing on because you'll find yourself walking in much more wisdom, understanding, grace, and freedom.  These ~ or this ~ can't be forced.  Let God lead.

~~~~~~~

On to the next Season of Re-education article

Back to Season of Re-education Main Page

~~~~~~~