The End of the First Week of School

This week has marked a significant change in the life of our family.  Last fall – out of what seemed like nowhere to me – I felt God leading that we would place our oldest elementary age child in our local neighborhood school.  I panicked at the thought of leaving the Christian school she attended three days a week while I did school at home with her the other two.   I loved our days together even though they demanded a lot out of a mom balancing two children, a business, counseling ministry, and a husband who travels.  Also preparing to leave a community that we truly loved and felt so encouraged by was one of the most emotional and challenging acts of faith I’ve made to date.I reminded myself again last week, that though we were leaving a place where we experienced the church doing school and the presence of God was evident in all aspects of our educational and social interactions, He was leading and going with us and would provide new opportunities for both community and outreach.

Having been a public school teacher and school counselor, I was confident that many of my colleague’s passions were to demonstrate God’s love to His children while teaching.  I prayed and am still praying for her teachers and soon to be new friends.  I was also grateful that we had been missional in our neighborhood in the past as we were involved in starting a playgroup when she was a baby and assisting in leading a local girl scout group.

It has been amazing this week to see many answers already.  My daughter has a wonderful Christian teacher and even at Meet the Teacher night, we saw many familiar faces which warmly welcomed us.

I started a Facebook group to pray for the school and we met after the first day of school to pray for the staff and students.  It was there I met new moms and also saw old friends. Some of them, I didn’t even know were believers.

This week has been a powerful reminder of what I’ve always believed and share in and out of the counseling office when it comes to our children’s education:

1) There is no one right way or best school.  Different children thrive in different settings in different seasons.

2) Whether you home school, private school or attend a local public school, you will discover people who love God and children.

3) Community is to a degree what you make it.  It takes effort on our part as parents to open doors for our children and surround them not only with our love and direction but also the encouragement of others.  We can’t always wait for it to just happen or come to us.  We have to actively seek it. When we can’t find what we’re looking for, sometimes we have to create it.

4) Even though it can seem terrifying because none of us readily signs up for change outside of our comfort zones, listening to God and our own intuition when it comes to our children leads to blessings and opportunities that would have been missed had we not followed in faith what we cannot always see.

PS I will also confess that I’m experiencing the personal joy and relief of a less hurried life and more time for self care, stillness, and spiritual development.  I’ve just begun what I heard to be a sabbatical, and I can already feel the difference.  Sometimes God truly knows best and it’s not always just about our kids.  He loves us Moms too and it’s been a great reminder that I’m His kid even though I now have my own and He will provide what I need as well.