Have you spotted any of these Giants in the Promised Land of Homeschooling?
- I don’t know which method to apply.
- I have no idea which curriculum to pick.
- I have no self-confidence.
- Negative comments from family, friends and strangers bring me down.
- I have no patience with my own children.
Remember what frightened spies said about the prospect of conquering the Promised Land? “And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” Numbers 13:33
Allow me to paraphrase, please. Not only are these people giants, they “come of giants,” i.e. they have the DNA of giants. They walk like giants, they look like giants, they talk like giants, they fight like giants. But even if they don’t do anything like giants, their ancestors are giants, so we are to fear them anyway.
What these poor spies say next should send shivers down your spine. We saw ourselves as small, insignificant, vulnerable, fragile insects. We felt like bugs. We thought of ourselves as nothing. Therefore, we know they thought of us as nothing.
The spies were projecting. They threw their poor self-image onto the giants of the land, who for all we know, may have feared the Israelites.
The power of your own thoughts, dear homeschooling parent, can send you soaring high or crashing down. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he,” says Proverbs 23:7.
If you think you do not have enough patience, you will not have enough patience. If you think you cannot figure out which curriculum works best for your child, you will not figure it out. If you think you will explode next time your mom comments on the benefits of attending “proper” school, guess what? You will explode, instead of giving a calm, humble answer.
Today, take some time and pray about your own thoughts. Ask God to help you stay positive and confident. Remember, the battle belongs to the Lord. He will take care of your giants if you let Him.