Dec. 13, 2006
The Hardest Job on Earth
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Parenting....of course. Yes, there are the sleepless nights, the sick babies and the arguing children - but, as we all learn at some point or another....that's the easy part! When we had our first son, the pastor's wife at the church we attended told me "This is the easiest that it will ever be". I heard her....but wasn't able to really comprehend what she was saying. Can one even comprehend that without living it? It's like trying to tell someone how much they will love their children....they'll never know that love runs so deep until they have a child of their own. I'm sure that I still have a lot to learn about the challenges that come with the blessing of children. I haven't even reached the teenage years yet! Our oldest is 11, and the sweetest child, beautiful inside and out. Our middle son is 8, closing in on 9 all too quickly...this child has the energy of a tornado and a heart of pure gold. And our baby....a precious little boy, all wrapped up in this little bundle of blonde hair and blue eyes, with a desire to live life with such abandon and imagination....he's 4 now...three months shy of five. How did that happen? You love them so much and you want to do right by them. You want to give them your best and be everything that they need in a mother. And yet, you're human. And, perfection belongs to God alone. We can do our best and ask that they be patient with us and forgive us when we make mistakes, and most importantly....point them toward the One who is their everything. Train them to seek God and no matter who disappoints them in life...they'll have the One that they need the most. Kind of like in our schooling - we teach our children how to learn and then we watch them fly. We don't teach them everything, we just teach them where to go to find the answers. Same difference. We do our best, knowing full well, that we are simply human and along with our love and acceptance we teach them where to go to find the answers. God is their most precious resource and if we let them leave our nests without Him....They could find a cure for cancer, and yet still lack wisdom. I often say that this homeschooling thing is really more of a 'lifeschooling' thing. There is so much more to this endeavor than head-knowledge. It's not an easy task to fit it all in....we're not about to give our children a shallow education - not to mention that 180 day state requirement. Yet, at the same time, we know that this is such a miniscule piece of the puzzle that is our children. It's a delicate balance, an awesome assignment. If you choose to do it well, it is the hardest job on earth. Not because of all of the work that they cause, not because of all of the sacrifices, not even because of the inevitable difficult times. It is the hardest job on earth because they are our most precious treasures and we want only the best for them. We want them to be productive, educated, loving, able, generous, loyal.....content adults of tomorrow. That's quite a responsibility. That's why, at the end of the day, you train them how to go to their maker for all of their needs...because as hard as we try, we'll never be able to do it without Him. Intimidating at times? Definitely. A challenge? No doubt. But....oh the joy that we would have missed! What those children don't know, what they can't know until they are parents themselves....is that the pleasure is all ours. |