Since I have started working again I have noticed there are a few correlations between what I do now and home educating.

1. Individual attention. I have two patients and so I am able to concentrate only on them.
2. Specialization. It takes a special skill set to work as an ICU RN. It also takes a special skill set to homeschool.
3. Continuing education. You are always learning as a nurse and as a home educator. If you aren’t learning in either role then something’s wrong.
4. Critical thinking. You must constantly evaluate test results and assessments, put clues together and think three steps ahead.
5. Caring for the whole person. As a nurse I don’t just care for a person medically. I also care for their spiritual well-being and their soul as well. As a home educator the same is definitely true.
6. The little things matter. What I do–or don’t do– can make a BIG difference. And little changes in my patient can mean big things down the road. Noticing subtle changes in your children can also make a big difference down the road.
7. Caring for the vulnerable. It is my responsibility to care for those who cannot care for themselves. They are counting on me to know what to do and how to do it. I also have to teach them things they need to know until they are well enough to take care of themselves. I feel it is my responsibility to not just make sure they are still alive when I go home, but that they are well cared for, that I do all I can to make their lives better.
8. You can’t do it alone. No man is an island. We aren’t created to be isolated. Teamwork is important, even within families. Don’t be a martyr or a victim. I need help turning, double checking and sometimes just reinforcing my gut feeling when dealing with patients. Home educators can’t be lone rangers. You cannot be everything your children need all by yourself.
9. They aren’t with us very long. My patients move out of ICU ASAP. That’s a good thing and as long as they are in my unit I want to make sure they are well cared for. Our children aren’t with us long either. Before you know they seem to move from toddlerhood to high school!
10. You have to love it. You’ll burn out. You won’t do a good job. Those whose care you are charged with will resent you. You can make silly mistakes because your heart isn’t in it.

They are both critically important roles, and both extremely rewarding as well. When done right, they make a difference in the lives of the individuals in our care.

…if only I may finish my course with joy…

Acts 20:24 AMP (emphasis mine)

This is part of my life scripture. It is one that is dear to me and only recently I have seen it anew. There are three things in this lovely passage that I want to emphasize.

Finish

I am to finish, whatever that means for me. For some home educators it’s graduation. For others it’s somewhere along the way. No one can tell you where that is but God. You just want to make sure you are on His schedule, His timing. God’s into completing things. He’s not one to leave unfinished projects and neither should we, especially in the home education realm.

(my) Course

I have a specific path. Part of it is a mother, part a wife, part a sister, a daughter, a friend. My course happens to include home education. It’s in my DNA. He hard wired me for this and equipped me for it. He knew my faults and trusted I could do this anyway. With His guidance and tender mercies I can, but not in my own strength.

And I have to stick to my course, not another’s. It’s so easy to compare, to feel inadequate and to judge. We must take care to keep to the path God has planned for us. Our goal is not to finish someone else’s course, but our own.

Joy

This is the hard part (at least for me). We may not finish our course at all, but if we do, it’s too often through gritted teeth with a bad attitude. His yoke is easy; His burden is light. It’s not enough to just get through it. Lots of people can do that. It’s the fruit of joy that sets us apart, making our lives tantalizing to those around us. Even in the rough spots on our course we have fixed our eyes on the prize. No, not graduation or smart children or even strong Christians. Our prize is that heavenly reward, that “well done, thou good and faithful servant.” It’s the fellowship with Him as we move from day to day that renews us and brings us the joy we need to keep going.

There truly can be joy in the journey. We can be content in the now and see God working all through our busy days. We can finish our course with joy, which is all I aim to do.

What is your life scripture?

Burnout. It’s a buzzword people use a lot. There is a lot of difference between a rough patch and burnout. When I say that word I mean “I cannot do this one more day. I am losing weight and having anxiety attacks. I am severely depressed and very disappointed. I am completely empty.”

I have taken the time to test all of these–so I do know what I am talking about. I am guilty of all of these in recent months. (Yes, all at the same time. I am an all-or-nothing girl, so I don’t do too much halfway.) Thankfully I am making changes so none of these happen again.

1. Change plans–a LOT. Make schedules, lesson plans, buy resources and use them for a week or so and then change things. Blow off school and use excuses. Then you can feel guilty too. Never finish books or complete plans so you are sure you won’t feel a sense of accomplishment and your children won’t be satisfied with completion either.

2. Take God’s place. Make yourself responsible for all sorts of things beyond your control. Stay awake nights thinking about all you think you did wrong that day and never give yourself grace.

3. Isolate yourself. Don’t ever get out of the house. Don’t make friends in real life. Don’t join a HS support group or a co-op. Don’t even go to the library. Just hang out at the house, surrounded by all your perceived shortcomings and brood over things. Don’t do any hobbies either.

4. Put all your identity into your role as a home educating mama. Wrap up your self-worth in your children and their “success.” This requires you to heap on lots of guilt–which, again, is a bonus. Never think about anything but home education and when you introduce yourself make sure you label yourself a home educator first.

5. Never take a break. Keep chugging along like a weary warrior and never pause for anything. Or if you do, then feel–you guessed it–guilty about it. Have school year-round and never take a vacation. Don’t stop to smell the roses or to catch your breath. Ever. Study constantly and prepare lessons relentlessly.

Now you don’t have to make the same mistakes I did, which cost me dearly in the last 6 months. Even one of these can send your home educating dreams off the deep end and you wake up dreading each day. I hope you will avoid these pitfalls and keep things in proper perspective so you can enjoy this season of your life.

Creative ideas are great. They are necessary and they have been given to us by God. We are made in His image, the Ultimate Creator. But our creative thoughts, like all of our thoughts, must not rule us.

Creative types are long on ideas. We have them running out our ears. If ideas were green beans we would have bushels and pecks. I know I sometimes can’t help myself. If we pass an empty storefront, my family often plays a game of “what business would do well there.” If I hear a business owner struggling, I brainstorm ways to help them out of their pickle. If I hear a homeschool mom frustrated about an area, I tend to think up a dozen ways to help her out of her situation. We love to think of how we would spend a million dollars, how much good we could do for the world.

There is nothing wrong with these activities. They are not bad, in fact, they can be brain stretching exercises that can help me think in new ways. However, if the thoughts come and come and come, then it can become a problem.

We are not to be slaves to our thoughts. In fact, we are to take every thought captive (2 Cor. 10:5). Out thoughts are to serve us. Just because an idea comes to mind does not mean it should be acted upon. Every good idea is not a God idea. And it takes listening to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit to distinguish the difference.

I used to think that if an idea popped into my head I should do it, just because it was there. This is not Christian maturity. The mature Christian seeks God’s direction–the when, the how, the if. It seeks the mind of the Lord, not their own mind (Acts 22:14). If God gives the go-ahead–if it is His will as laid out in His Word–then I am free to pursue that idea (John 8:28). Otherwise I need to wait (1 Cor. 2:16, Is. 55:9).

What do I try to do now? I write down all the ideas that come into my head. Some are for me now, some are for others who cross my path, some are for me later, some go in the circular file. If I write it down then it gives me peace and that little idea is not rolling around untethered in my head. Also started this blog as a outlet for some of the crazy ideas I get. I talk to my husband too and he helps me as another filter. He is much less emotionally attached to an idea than I am and can help me work through it or let it go. These tools help me harness my creative energy so that it is working for me, not just causing chaos and disorder in my thought life.

We must sanctify our minds and think on things that are lovely and of good report. We must treat our thought life as holy ground. Don’t let just any weed come in and ruin the garden you have made. Keep your thoughts in order and your creativity will serve you well.

I was reading this post on Sarah Hodson’s blog. There is a new machine out there that I am crazy about. It’s a screen printing machine that Provo has come out with that, like the Cricut, is going to revolutionize the craft world. See a video demo of Yudu here.

What I appreciated about Sara’s post was the video from Provo featuring a man giving the homeless a voice using the machine. Please view the video.

It really got me thinking about communicating faith in art. There is reason for us to create beauty, to communicate the Gospel, to offer hope and help. We as Christians have a unique voice. We bring the hope of Christ to what we do. It is Christ in us, the hope of glory.

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Col. 1:27

When we allow Christ to shine in our art we have something unique to offer, not just any hope, but the hope of glory.

Christ is come to save, to heal and to deliver. When we can get that across, not just in a literal way, but in the subtle artistic communication–that is one to one, artist to patron—you are able to reach the very soul of another person. Art disarms, connects and elevates. For a moment in time you are able to communicate soul to soul with a person you may never actually meet this side of heaven. you are truly, as Ron DiCianni puts it, “Going into all the world…one painting at a time.” Or one book. Or collage. Pick your medium, the principle is the same.

What an exciting time to be an artist. Modern technology has brought the ability to get your art into people’s hands to the next level. Take advantage of every opportunity you have to communicate the Good News to everyone you can. Be bold, be subtle, be brave.

In my next post I will share my personal art scriptures and how they fit into my artist statement.