I've had quite a week.  So much so that this blog entry is being turned in late...sorry, Tia.  Though the theme for this week's articles is "sickness," I am better prepared to write about something like, "When Appliance Breakdowns Interrupt." 

First the refrigerator died.  Two days later, the oven died.  Two hours after the oven repair man left the house, my kitchen sink backed up.  Of course, it was after 5:00pm, so we just had to leave it that way.  Fortunately, I had a jar of enzyme drain cleaner, which I dumped down the drain and taped off the area so no one would accidentally turn on the faucet over the next 12 hours.  It worked!  That's one more service call bill we won't have.  We are thankful for that!

But that's not what I'm supposed to write about today!  Actually, I had my post 90% finished on Monday...but I broke the most important rule that we ALL know, and that is to hit the "Save" button periodically...just in case.  I didn't do it, and for some unknown reason, my computer screen blinked, I lost the internet connection, and the whole article was gone.  Told you it's been a rough week.

But sometimes, when these things happen, there's something better waiting at the end of them.  Not always, but sometimes.  The Lord has led me to share something completely different now than what I had originally written.  (Hold on just a second while I hit the "Save As Draft" button...!!!)

We have a lot of experience with chronic illness in my family.  One of my children has type 1 diabetes (Juvenile diabetes), and also suffered from childhood migraines.  The combination of the two conditions  landed him in the emergency room a few times, but mostly caused a 12 to 16 hour seige of intense blood sugar monitoring, nausea and vomiting, and pain.  A few months after we had him annointed and prayed over for healing by our elders, the Lord was gracious in relieving the severity of the headaches, and they are all but gone now...Praise You, God!!!  But there were several years of his suffering prior to that blessed happening. 

The interruption to our homeschool was difficult in some ways, but God has taught us so very much through it all!  One of the things that He used is a book by Edith Schaeffer titled, "What Is A Family?"  Some of Mrs. Schaeffer's books I find a little difficult to read.  She reminds me of the Apostle Paul sometimes in that she can construct some very long sentences in which it is easy to get lost!  But I love her writing, and this book is a favorite.  

In "What Is A Family?," there is a chapter titled, "A Shelter in the Time of Storm."  This chapter helped me to find a way to deal with what had been some very dark and anxiety-ridden days.  When we look at illness--whether it is acute and short-lived or chronic--and our homeschool high school, it is my humble opinion that we need to keep the paradigm that Mrs. Schaeffer suggests in our sights. Allow me to share some of her thoughts:

"When illness hits we should remember that this period of time is part of the whole of life.  This is not just a non-time to be shoved aside, but a portion of time that counts.  It is part of the well person's life, as well as part of the sick person's life.  'In sickness and in health' is a promise made, it seems to me, to recognize that the time which sickness takes is part of the married life, part of the family life; and the time which health takes is another part of the married lifetime and the family lifetime.  There is an importance attached to the use of the whole span of time which means that creativity, imagination, work, appropriate contribution, blending of talents, and pitching in to do whatever needs to be done, applies to periods of sickness as well as periods of health--periods of tragedy as well as periods of special happiness.  We are to recognize that to waste this time is as much a loss as wasting a time we might think of as the height of productivity."

"A family should be a training place for growing human beings to know how to care for a great variety of sicknesses and for people who have just had accidents or operations, because each one has received both knowledgeable and loving care and has watched it being given to others.  The knowledge of what is necessary for basic care (and what is added thoughtfulness to make the time more bearable) should be absorbed through years of living in a family."

Homeschooling our children isn't a sprint, it's a marathon.  We can adjust our pace as necessary, slowing down here, speeding up there, and still arrive at the finish line in good time.  That which is learned along the way is more important than the number of days it takes us to learn it, in the end.  When illness interrupts your homeschool high school, use it  as a time to pause, to pray, and to teach the art of compassion through simple acts of caring. 

Jesus taught, "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."  (Matthew 25:34-40)

When illness strikes your homeschool, relax about the lesson plans.  Set aside the schedule.  Back to Mrs. Schaeffer:

 "He is the One who also points out that when we have cared for the very least of the sick ones or thirsty ones, we have cared directly for Him.  How better could we use our time than caring for Jesus?  If we are losing time (which we had set aside for something we thought very important) in order to care for a sick person's comfort, we are promised we will find something amazing one day when Jesus thanks us for caring for Him!"

May God bless you and your homeschool this week!

Lori

PS. I encourage you to read the other Company Front Porch bloggers' articles about sickness...each of us have come at it from different angles, and the ideas and stories shared are applicable to all ages and stages of homeschool! 

Posted in Homeschooling Through High School, 2 comments, Link
Leave a Comment