As I sit here attempting to plan my week, I am struck by the value in that simple task...Perhaps before as a wife and mother I never really thought about or put much emphasis on how important each moment of my day is...Moments will come and go and I will never get them back, never have the chance again to re-live or reframe the time that has passed...I must therefore use what precious time I do have to make my home a haven of peace, to provide support for my hardworking husband and to daily set a good example and instill good character virtues and morals in my children. In my haste to fill my schedule, I wonder if I am missing something important by trying to account for every moment, every subject, every chore and every activity without really stopping to consider...

These seem like such common things, things that maybe we take for granted as spouses or mothers or fathers...Yet, how often do we sit and take time to reflect on the atmosphere of our homes and place the tenuous schedule in His hands so that His will only is perfected through every minute of every day? I desire the best for my family - as I am sure many of you also do. Those of use who choose to homeschool have the additional task of educating our children during those times where we could be otherwise employed in varied duties such as volunteering for our churches or other worthwhile organizations, earning an extra income to assist our husbands with the financial end of things or simply keeping a neat and clean home and ministering in some way to our neighbors. However, the joys of knowing that He has called me to homeschool far outweigh the importance of those other areas where I could be kept busy.

The most important duty a mother could ever have is to raise up children who know and love the L-rd. Having the privilege to educate them in minor things such as reading, writing and 'rithmetic - though essential to their knowing how to function and operate in this world - is a blessing that maybe I take for granted as well. It is my deep desire to raise children who know and love and serve Him and who are fully equipped to perform the tasks He has already planned for each of them in the future. Yet even with this strong desire, it is often with neglect of Him that I rush along to prepare my week, fixing the schedule without considering what He would have me do. There are, after all, many activities going on in this big, busy family. There are, after all, many chores that just need to be accomplished. Yet there are, after all, moments that I will never recapture...

Being able to yield my schedule to Him takes the pressure of getting it right and doing it my way off of me. It takes the focus off of some of my selfish desires, my human-ness. And places the focus right where He would have it be...which may be an area I have neglected. There were times when I felt the need to fill our schedule to try to accomplish the lofty goal of "school at home" -- vastly different from home learning -- and in so doing would not take the time to stop and examine a leaf or a bug or observe a bird or play with bubbles or time the children while they raced around the alley. Maybe during some of those moments I should have slowed down to let the children enjoy their time as children and quietly reflected upon the teachable moment, as it were...Was there a lesson available that could have brought Him glory? In my haste to do everything the "right way" -- and I often wonder, right according to whom? -- I rushed my children through what could have been amazing moments in their childhood, the "aha!" moments when G-d's creation spoke to them or there was a moment to impart a character lesson or simply just let them bask in the glory of His love...

So now I try harder to consider this when I work on my schedule: should I not just stop and rest in His presence and ask Him what things He would have me include in the scheduling of the week? Being obedient to His plan and purpose for myself and my family will allow me to focus on the things that He desires. Perhaps I will be blessed with more willing and obedient helpers, or with more teachable moments to impart the lessons He is daily teaching me through life's little moments...