From the Editor - By Deborah Wuehler
I want to write to you from my heart. There are times when fear sneaks up on me and I am tempted to give in. Fear of what? Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of the unknown, fear for my children, fear of the future. Do you ever battle with fear? If you don't battle against it, it may consume you in constant worry, anxiety and undue stress. I want to encourage you by giving you a battle plan. First, though, let me tell you my true story right now.
My daughter Hope is two years old this month. Before she was born, there was an uncertainty of whether she had a genetic disorder that would cause her death shortly after birth. I battled a small amount of fear but won the battle because I knew that the number of her days was already written in God's book, and that I could confidently put my "Hope" in God. She was born perfectly healthy.
When Hope was three months old, she rolled off a changing table onto a concrete floor and received a skull fracture from ear to ear. I battled fear again as we stayed in the hospital together. Fervently I prayed for her health and healing. I was winning the battle of fear as I put my "Hope" in God. Then the battle increased. The hospital had to report any infant skull fractures to the Child Protective Services. A case would be opened with CPS and a hospital representative would talk with me and make their recommendations to CPS. I wouldn't know until the next day whether they decided to investigate the case further or close the case. The battle of fear was all out warfare. "What will they do - they know I homeschool, they know I don't immunize my children, they know I go against the norm of society. Will they take my little Hope away or, worse yet, all of my children?" These thoughts bombarded me. Could I trust God to work on my behalf? Again, that still small voice said to "put my 'Hope' in God." Could I really let go of her future and put her in God's hands?
I fought fear by fully and completely trusting God. I could trust God because I knew God. I fought fear by continually placing my hope in Him. I could hope in Him because I knew Him and His Word.
There lies the defeat of fear. Knowing God and knowing His Word will enable you to catapult fear and win the battle. The next day, the case was closed and I rejoiced in the God of Hope.
Fast-forward to today. Hope has been having pain in her head on a daily basis for a while now. The doctors will be performing a CT scan on her tomorrow. By the time you get this newsletter, I will know the results. In the meantime, I have two choices. I can live in fear, or I can choose to trust a loving God no matter what the outcome. Again, I choose to put my "Hope" in God.
A dear friend whose 6-year-old son died of a brain tumor wrote to me when she heard about Hope, saying, "When my flesh feels fear, in my spirit I affirm the truth that no matter the circumstance, God is good, in control and loving. Always." I have to agree with her. I must agree. To do anything else is to give way to fear. Fear cripples; hope restores, renews, and revives. I must affirm the truth; I choose to hope in a loving God.
How about you? What do you fear? Do battle with it by getting to know Who God is through His Word and choose to put your hope in God.
"I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope." --Jeremiah 29:11
"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." --Psalm 43:5
From Our Readers: Fear and the Future
By Raquel Laureano, Chicago
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change..." --Psalm 46:1-3 RSV
Have you ever wondered what the future will hold, honestly? Yes, I know that the Bible mentions that we are not to worry about tomorrow, that we are to trust our future and provision to God (Matt 6:31-34). However, we are humans and we fight these temptations: fear, doubt, and worry. All of them are sinful in God's eyes because they show a lack of trust in His character and His Word. Yes, the world can be a very scary place to live in. And we wonder at times (at least I have) what will happen to our children.
As society's morals grow from bad to worse, will my children remember what I've taught them? Was reading and professing God's promises to them in the womb in vain? Will they hold on to Jesus, reject and make a stand against all that goes against the teachings they learned since the times they would pitter-patter themselves into our bedroom at night?
One thing is certain: that God's character stands and cannot be moved. That His promises are true and we can trust Him to keep His word. His Word will never return to Him void, and it will accomplish whatever it was sent out to do (Isa. 55:10-11).
Every day we need to surrender ourselves, our fears, and our children to Him. He will keep them from all evil; he will keep their lives in their going out, to their coming in forever (Ps. 121).
And let's not forget Proverbs 22:6. "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."
Being parents is difficult. Being godly parents is harder. Let's thank God for His grace that empowers us to continue to teach godly principles and gives us the power to fear not.
Prayer: "Give me Your grace to keep me from looking anywhere but up. Give me the strength to face my fears with faith in You and in Your Word. Empower me to continue to live my life according to Your principles so that I can continue to teach my children effectively; In Jesus' Name, amen."
Raquel Laureano is a married Chicagoan homeschooling mother of three children who enjoys freelance writing and the arts.
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Q&A with Deborah
Question: "I am a mother of six gifts but have been struggling the last 1-2 years with homeschooling. I can't seem to discern God's will for the future. I feel burnt-out and overwhelmed.
I have been praying about schooling options and do not feel at peace about any of them! Public school? No. Continue with our current 3 day a week co-op? Costly and not perfect (is anything?). Bring them all HOME full time? What about me? (Selfishness???)
Could this be spiritual warfare? Could God be calling me to stop home-schooling after 8 years? Do you have any insights on this? Have you struggled with these questions?
Thank you in advance for any advice or prayers."
Answer: I can really understand your feelings, and I have struggled with similar questions. And I want you to know that God understands your feelings and your "frame" as well. In fact, He said this:
"For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, And its place remembers it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children's children, To such as keep His covenant, And to those who remember His commandments to do them." Psalm 103:14-18
Isn't it so great to know that God understands who we are and what we are made of? He doesn't say that gives us an excuse to give in to our feelings; rather, He says to continue to keep His commands. The verse goes on to say that our life here is soon over. These feelings will pass. Burnout comes and burnout will go, but God shows us mercy all the time. Because of this, we should put aside all selfishness and lay our lives down and continue to do His bidding.
Yes, this could be spiritual warfare. In fact, our entire life on earth is spiritual warfare. We are daily bombarded with "feelings," and our job is to have on the full armor of God in order to win the battle of our feelings and continue on in faith.
If God has called you to homeschool, He promises that if we keep His commands, He will give His righteousness to our children's children. There is a promise for us and our children at the end. And the end is nearer than we realize. We must not give in; rather give all to Him who upholds our frame.
Do you have a specific question for me? I'll do my best to answer it.
Send questions to: devotions@thehomeschoolmagazine.com
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