Last Thursday, I wrote about three essentials for homeschooling....patience, commitment and a sense of humor. Today I would like to talk a little about commitment...later in the week I will address a sense of humor. Believe me when I say I know what I am talking about...it is not just words for me, I did live it! I homeschooled my children from kindergarten through twelfth grade.

In the *dictionary "commitment" reads,"an obligation that restricts freedom of action". Let's start at the beginning now that we have the definition. To me, commitment for the training and teaching of our children begins with marriage. For the majority of women ( and I can't speak for the men) marriage means the picket fence, a loving husband and children. So, it is pretty safe to say that we have all thought, at one time or another, before we had children issues on raising them. This is where the commitment begins...realizing that when the children come, whether we are surprised or it is planned, that they are a gift, a gift from God and with that gift comes the commitment to train and teach them to someday help build God's kingdom here on earth. So, to me the commitment started way before I ever thought of homeschooling!

But, I always felt that when I had my children I would be "restricted from freedom of actions." I knew that I was going to have seasons in my life that would allow me different lifestyles and that during the season of raising my family I would be commited completely and fully to training and teaching them...from birth into young adulthood. Of course, I would be teaching them (using the wisdom of experience and knowledge of them) all their lives but, of course, the commitment would change as they entered into young adults.

Making and believing in that commitment is 90% of the battle. I have a sister who loves and lives for her Tuesday bible studies. She helps organize them, helps facilitate them, and wouldn't miss them...no matter what.  There have been times, like after foot surgery, when I have remarked about how I guess she won't be going to her bible study for a few weeks and her response was. "Oh, i'm going. You know I made a comittment to my group and if I use my crutches and ask ________ (one of her friends) to pick me up I will be able to go!" I was at a woman's tea this past Saturday and the woman speaker told us about her experience growing up in her church. She was from a small town and church was the place to be. She told us how ALL her life she had perfect attendance in church and when she had her children they all had perfect attendance. She said her children knew that you could be sick any day of the week, she would allow absences from school but on Wednesday night and Sunday morning THERE WOULD BE NO EXCUSES! She said her family was comitted to being in the pew on Wednesday night and Sunday morning....no if, ands or buts! She also added how they were responsible for giving the entire church the measles, the chicken poxs, colds and every virus known to man, but she was comitted to having her children in church.

I am not making a judgement on whether these fore-mentioned commitments are necessary or valid, that is not what I am writing about. I am illustrating how, when something is important to us, how much effort we put into keeping that particular commitment. And as  homeschooling moms, this is the level of comittment we should give our children.

The choice to have children and the choice to homeschool them is ours.  And with that choice comes the responsiblility of the commitment. And with this commitment comes all the "restriction from freedom of action" the same way it does with the other commitment in our lives. Take our first job as teenagers, I remember how that first grown-up commitment changed my life. It meant loss of time with my boyfriend (who is actually my husband now), cut into my weekend evenings out, and left me very little time to spend with my sisters doing the usual sister things...hair, nails, shopping. How about when we get married. Definetly, once we join lives with another person and join households we have "restriction of freedom of action." That marriage commitment usually means giving up alot of our lives for the sake of being unite as one. As wives, we  find that there has to be a laying aside of our lives as we knew them for the sake of the blessed union. And then we move into the season of birthing and raising our children. For most moms the laying down of their lives isn't as drastic as it is for homeschooling moms. Their commitment to put their lives on hold...no women's bible studies, no women's clubs and girl's luncheons, shopping without kids, getting your hair done, napping in the afternoon...lasts at the most until your children are about five years of age, less if you put them into the preschool programs. But, for us homeschool moms it can mean ten, fifteen, even twenty years in this season of a "restriction of freedom of action".

And the commitment, if you really want to do the best you can in training and teaching your children, does mean alot of giving up for them. For me, it wasn't until three weeks ago that I was able to join a twelve week,  morning bible study. Oh, I was fortunate to have women who would come by from time to time and I was able to fellowship and study the bible with them but the commitment to the smooth running of the home was my biggest and most worthwhile commitment. My husband and I have just started going out on Wednesday nights to a fellowship group...couldn't afford the time in the evenings during the last fifteen years or so, there were lessons plans to be made, papers to grade, subjects that I needed to study, and chores that didn't get done during the day that needed tending to. But, the commitment was my choice and the fruit from that choice is worth all the effort and more that was put into it.

Moms look at the commitment you have made. Rejoice in fruit that you have and all the fruit that is ahead of you. Turn off the television, let your answering machine catch the phone, put the computer in a closet if you have to, examine the activities that you and your children are involved in. Are they helping you make the most of your commitment to train and teach your children to love and serve the Lord or is the commitment only a word and your homeschooling and family in disarray? Do you need to drop to your knees and ask God for help in the giving up of yourself for the sake of the commitment you have made.? Maybe, you need to scale back your care group or circle of friends to one or two that also want to commit to training and teaching their children on the same level as you and will help you keep that full commitment. I am telling you from experience, if you, for a season, make this your life's work you will be blessed beyond belief....the Lord will help you, He will see you through and when this season is over you will have a relationship with your children that is unbelievable and a relationship with your Father that is out of this world. He will bless you for doing your best, and after all this is just a season and when it is over you will move on, probably to something that has less "restriction of freedom of action". For the past year, as I have watched my children, my young adults go out into the world and gain the respect of their bosses, the friendship of their professors, fellowship with other nice young christian friends, and walk and talk the words and lessons from scripture that I have spent almost two decades training and teaching them I know that the "obligation that restricts my freedom of action" was for a much bigger purpose. It deserved my best, it got my best, and now there is a new season. But the time I spent giving of myself had an eternal purpose....and that is worth all the commitment!