Patience Before Homeschooling

I have been thinking over the last month that I should post about the patience I am learning from homeschooling, and I keep getting side tracked with other topics I want to post about. Well, today is the day. And do you know why its the day? Because I have had my patience tested. All. Day. Long. The only reason I can blog right now if because I put both of the kids down for naps/quiet time. Some of you may know, Tucker has not taken naps for two years. Today he is. I have also stopped blogging two (and now three) times because Ava has climbed out of her crib and opened her door. I was about one more tantrum shy from having a tantrum myself when I read a post on my friends Facebook. She said, "When you don't wake up with the Word your whole day can make you feel like you are on the verge of tears! It's so easy for us to think we can handle all the little things...until we don't entrust them to the Lord, then they don't seem so little anymore." (I hope you don't mind me quoting you Kristin!) I love how God can reach me through friends, through Facebook, and through the Word. It has been on my mind lately that although I am doing a lot of Bible work with the kids for school, I am not doing that much for myself. This is definately a wake up call to get back to reading the Bible more and always starting my day with it. So, it is not the begining of my day, but it is the begining of my second half of the day, post-naps. I am going back to the Scriptures that started this blog, Galatians 5:22-26. "But the Spirit produces the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. There is no law that says these things are wrong. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their own sinful selves. They have given up their old selfish feelings and the evil things they wanted to do. We get our new life from the Spirit, so we should follow the Spirit. We must not be proud or make trouble with each other or be jealous of each other." It has almost been a year since I started this journey. It has flown by, but also seems like I have always been this way. The best things in life seem to be that way, like raising kids and not working. I can see parts of why God started this change in my life on October 8th, 2010. (If you weren't reading this blog back then, you might want to check out the first entry.) Because if I had been the same person now that I was then, I dont think I could handle homeschooling. With a two year old. And a new baby on the way. And I don't think I would be handling any of those things seperately very well either. God prepared me for what was ahead, and He is still changing me day by day. The patience I have learned from homeschooling couldn't have been acomplished unless the lessons from the fruit of the Spirit had been soaked up in my life. Patience is not a fun thing to learn, but when you get it (at least for the most part), you have a different outlook on life. You have a peace that passes understanding. And even though I have had a crazy day of disciplining and bickering, when I sit down with the Word and re-center myself, it all goes away. Maybe another day when I am in a more fun mood I will post a list of funny things I have learned and how I have learned patience through homeschooling...but for now I leave you with this, Colossians 1:11-12 "God will strengthen you with his own great power so that you will not give up when troubles come, but you will be patient. And you will joyfully give thanks to the Father who has made you." Thank You Father for strengthening me through Your Word. God is good, have a blessed day!