Some prefer spring and still others summer and I know there are a few that prefer winter, but I prefer fall above all. The crisp days and blue, blue skies fill my heart with child-like wonder.  The colors of the trees as the they make the transition from green to yellow to gold to red and to burnished bronze fill my eyes with beauty and I sparkle with happiness. The green, green fields embrace the honey gold that all corn turns to and the beans become this beautiful brown, like melted chocolate. I am enamored by fall and its beauty draws me in.

 

The growing season in my neck of the woods is coming to a close and I will soon see combines, tractors, and wagons begin their business of gathering in the crops.  I am filled with hope for the start of another homeschooling year as I witness this.

 

Our homeschooling journey is an intense form of discipleship and when we’re in the thick of it, it’s far too easy to focus on our failings as mother and teacher and even easier to zero in on our children’s struggles as well. I have flown off the handle at spilled milk, ripped pages, and having to explain the same thing more than once. I have a lovely, strong-willed child and we have been off and on a crazy cycle of clashing wills, and I lose sight of the harvest that is to come.

 

I know the farmer does his part and God does the rest and this truth I need to embrace and hold fast to when considering yet one more year in our homeschooling journey.  Beginning our school year just as harvest is imminent reminds me that doing the hard things are not in vain.

 

I need to do my part, testing the soil of my lovelie’s hearts and amending it as needed. I must be diligent for heart-weeds that take root and stunt their heart growth. I need to water them with my love, kind words, and grace. Then, and this is the most important truth, I must, must, must allow God to do the growing, which means I need to trust him.

 

So fellow homeschooling mamas, I want to share some of my favorite verses for when the days are long and the weeks are seemingly unproductive:

 

Proverbs 3:5-6 ‘Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path’ reminds me that I may not understand the plan, but I can trust his heart.

 

Galatians 6:9 ‘Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.’ I will have seasons when I am more weary than others and this verse reminds me that even though fatigue will come, I can be faithful to the task at hand and keep the harvest in mind.

 

Isaiah 39:11 “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young’ assures me that I am not alone and that as I tend my flock he is tending me and leading me gently upward and onward.

 

You are doing a beautiful work. God sees you. He hears you. He guides you, but mostly he knows you and he loves you. Cling to his word and trust his heart for you and your kiddos. He will bring a beautiful harvest.

 

 

Jessica Van Roekel is a woman on the journey to wholeness through brokenness. She believes that through Christ our personal histories don’t have to define our present or determine our future. Her greatest desire is to see people live this ‘God-life’ with all the power and grace that God provides. Jessica lives in a rural community with her husband and four children. She leads worship on Sundays, but seeks to be a worshiper every day. You can connect with her atwww.welcomegrace.com  and on Facebook:www.facebook.com/your.JessicaVanRoekel