AOP (Alpha Omega Publications) sent out a very good devotional today by email. At this time of year, when we should be feeling joyful, we're sometimes stressed out, feeling put-upon, and maybe a little overly sensitive (especially around the inlaws). This devotional is a good reminder to die to ourselves and let Jesus Christ be seen through us. It's not about us...it's about Him. Enjoy.

Dying to Self
Monday / December 15, 2008

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).

Homeschooling is not what you thought. Those images of perfectly happy children soaking in your words of wisdom have evaporated. You feel like you have bitten off more than you can chew. You are reevaluating. Homeschooling involves sacrificing more of your precious day than you intended. "What about time for me?" you ask....

Read the rest of the devotional online at AOP by clicking here.

While there, take a look at materials you might need for the second half of your school year. You can save 12% by using coupon code SAVEBIG. Or, just read the devotional and be blessed. :-)

I really don't know what happened to me in November. I entered the Twilight Zone or something, I'm sure of it. My blog was doing so well, I was getting new readers, then I vanished from the face of HSB. Or so it seems. I took a chance that I might lose readers, and I really shouldn't do that!

Life has a way of eclipsing our priorities, doesn't it? The urgent, stressful things clamor, scream, and whine for attention, while the stuff we really should be focusing on starts to wither.

To be blunt, I spent November stressing about money. With four kids, a dwindling income (or so it felt), bills, braces for one child and another needing them...and Thanksgiving, an anniversary, and Christmas looming on the horizon, I became very stressed (still feeling it, actually). But all the while, the Lord was there, saying, "Focus on Me. Put Me first. Everything else will fall into place."

I'm still waiting for everything to fall into place, because, ashamedly, I haven't been putting Him first. The noise of the stress and anxiety I was facing was drowning out His quiet reminder. It takes real discipline, apparently, to take your eyes off the bills that are due and look instead to the One Who "owns the cattle on a thousand hills."

The holidays can be very difficult for many people. For quite a few, stressing about finances completely wipes out any joy we may otherwise feel. For others, missing a loved one who's passed on makes this season a bleak one. I'll be addressing this in the next issue of the Homeschooling Anyway newsletter, and giving some ideas on how to put the joy back into your Christmas. (You can sign up by clicking the link at the top of this page.)

But for now, I'd like to leave you with some verses that the Lord keeps bringing to mind. I need to print them out and post them above my desk. (Out of sight, out of mind!) I hope they'll encourage you, too, to put Christ first, not just at Christmas, but always, and in everything.

Deuteronomy 28:1-14 

Isaiah 58:6-11 

Jeremiah 17:5-8

Malachi 3:6-18

2 Corinthians 9:6-15 

We all have days when we feel like everything we do is for someone else. That may be because there are days when everything we do is for others. You know what I mean. There are things you want to do just for you, but it gets swallowed up by the needs of others (our families can be quite needy, but often those "needs" can wait) and the laundry mocking you from the couch.

I've had days when I desperately wanted to just soak in the tub with a good book, but ended up doing laundry or going through my endless piles of papers until I was too tired to do anything but go to bed.

A wise friend of mine, who I don't see nearly as often as I'd like to, told me that I need to put myself on the calendar. To make an appointment for me. But isn't that selfish?! Well, that's what's been ingrained into most of us over the years. We're supposed to put others first, and we mothers get the leftovers. But did you know that it's our families who are getting the leftovers if we're not being refreshed ourselves?

Think about it. How often do we nag, gripe, complain, or snap at our husbands and kids when a kind answer or admonition would have done the situation a world of good? We have, instead, created a situation in need of mending simply because we were feeling frazzled and undone. Overwhelmed. Just leave me alone.

Moms, put yourself on the calendar. Do what refreshes you. Take that bath, and use up the rest of the bubbles if you want to. I prefer an aromatherapy bath, but to each her own! This is about you! Go get your nails done, if you lean in that direction (this is something I will be doing soon -- I love a good manicure, but haven't gotten one in a few years). Go into your room, or your den, with a cup of tea (even if your "cup of tea" is a glass of chocolate milk), close the door, and read. Or just shut your eyes and get a nap. Get a babysitter for the little ones if necessary, and don't consider it frivolous. I have found this out to be true: you must take care of your soul.

Of course, the number one way to be refreshed is to spend some precious time with your Maker, the Lover of your soul. Give Him the first and best of you, even if you feel like you have none of that left. "Seek first the kingdom of God, then all these things will be added unto you." When we spend time with Jesus, our best Friend, in time it will show to all.

One thing I do to refresh my soul is by starting out at a great website called  OnePlace.com. Here you will find teachings and sermons from your favorite Bible teachers and pastors (such as Kay Arthur, Beth Moore, Ravi Zacharias, John MacArthur, David Jeremiah, Greg Laurie and many more), and you may even find some new favorites. Many of the teachings are MP3 downloadable (for free or a minimal charge), so I will periodically load some of these onto my MP3, stick my earbuds in my ears, and get recharged while making dinner. You can also listen online while reading the blogs right here at homeschoolblogger.com!

The best homeschool teachers are the ones who are filled up and ready to pour out richness into the lives of their wonderful students. You're worth it, because they are.

Are you ready? Got your daytimer or wall calendar? Put yourself on it. You are a very important appointment that absolutely cannot be rescheduled (because you know that may never happen). Remember: even Jesus took time to get away by Himself to pray to His Father. That's mentioned in the Bible, I believe, to be an example for us. Let's follow it!

There's a Christian counselor in our area who put out some tapes a while back (like way back...like back in the 80s...). In one of her talks, she spoke about how all the things that bother us in our lives, such as how we've been hurt, how we've hurt others, sins we've committed, et al., bounce around in us like little ping pong balls. Eventually, one of the little bouncers flies out and has to be dealt with. I'll never forget that word picture.

Isn't it funny, the things we remember? Something else that comes back to me every now and then is a "Mad About You" episode from the 90s in which Paul says to his wife Jamie, "Talk to me like I'm five." In other words, he wanted her to explain something to him very clearly.

I've just given you two pictures of my life as I now know it. I have so much on my plate that I forget most of what I have to do, but every once in a while one of them flies out and smacks me in the forehead. That's called an "Oh, yeah..." moment. More often than not, it's an "Oh, shoot!" moment.

Then I have my prayer times. I lay my life out before the Lord as if I've dumped the kitchen junk drawer on His lap. It's all jumbled and unorganized and filled with little odds and ends that look important but no one misses.

"Lord, where do I start? I've got this to do, that to do, yada yada yada, and can't do any of it because I don't know what to do first. I've got too much going on. What can I toss? Please...talk to me like I'm five!"

And He is faithful. He speaks to me what He's already spoken so long ago. The reminders come to me like old friends...you know the kind: they're the friends you can be comfortable with even in the silences because you've known each other so long.

"Seek first the kingdom of God, then all these things will be added unto you."

"In quietness and trust shall be your strength."

"Without a vision, my people perish."

And on and on they go. Old friends, parading through my soul, talking to me like I'm five. And that's just the way I want it. After all, aren't we supposed to come to Him like little children?

I love medical websites. Probably because I like being my own doctor. Or maybe I just have a morbid fascination with finding out what's wrong with me. Like just yesterday, I decided I have plantar fasciitis in my right foot. I have all the key symptoms. Yes, I need to call a podiatrist to get it confirmed, but I like to be armed with information before I go in. It's fun being one of those self-diagnosing patients that doctors find so irritating.

So what do I do tonight but spend the evening sitting on my legs (does that make sense? You kneel down, then sit) in front of my nightstand, putting a bunch of pressure on my sore foot. Ouch. Kind of worth it, though, because I found a few treasures that I'll share with you over the next few days.

You should feel special that I'm doing this. I limped all the way from my bedroom on one end of the house to get out here to our family room office just to bless you with this neat little thing you're about to read. I would say, "Enjoy!", but if you're like me, you may find yourself a tad convicted as you read it. (Remember: conviction serves a good purpose because it shows us what is standing in the way of having a right relationship with God.)

ABOUT THE LORD'S PRAYER

I cannot say "our" if I live only for myself.

I cannot say "Father" if I do not endeavor each day to act like His child.

I cannot say "who art in Heaven" if I am laying up no treasure there.

I cannot say "hallowed be Your name" if I am not striving for holiness.

I cannot say "Your kingdom come" if I am not willing for my kingdom to go.

I cannot say "Your will be done" if I am disobedient to Your word.

I cannot say "give us today our daily bread" if I am dishonest or am seeking things by deception.

I cannot say "forgive us our debts" if I harbor a grudge against anyone.

I cannot say "lead us into temptation" if I deliberately place myself in its path.

I cannot say "deliver us from the evil one" if I do not put on the whole armor of God.

I cannot say "Yours is the kingdom" if I do not give the King the loyalty due Him from a faithful subject.

I cannot attribute to Him "the power" if I fear what men may do.

I cannot ascribe to Him "the glory" if I'm seeking honor only for myself, and I cannot say "forever" if the horizon of my life is bounded completely by time.

~ Author unknown