USA National Director
for Moms in Prayer International
www.momsinprayer.org
Most days I loved homeschooling. We’d start with devotions and chores, move to the pledges to the flags and then tackle math (because in our family it was the hardest) followed by English (because that meant reading on the couch together which made up for the harder math time) and then whatever came next. It was a sweet time to be with my daughters and to learn right along with them all sorts of marvelous facts about our world.
However, some days were tougher than others. One daughter liked absolute quiet while she worked. The other was a toe tapping, finger snapping wiggler. That was a challenge at times! Then there was the day my friends invited me out to lunch with them. We were living in Germany at the time, and our husbands were deployed to the Persian Gulf War. So … adult time was pretty important. However, I also took our homeschool days seriously and knew that the best work happened in the mornings. So, I tried to rush my girls through their work. The more I pushed, the more they balked. By the end of that miserable morning, I was angry and they were crying and then I was crying. It was a mess.
You know what I needed? I needed a place where I could meet with other homeschool moms and PRAY. I needed to bring my burdens and fears and worries before God and link arms with my fellow moms in prayer for the welfare of our children, asking for wisdom for us, as well, as their teachers. I needed a place where I was understood and where I could be vulnerable. I needed to reach out to the God who is all Wise and ask Him for help! I needed to remember that I was not in charge. God was. He was the One to run to in trouble.
It’s been my JOY to pray for my daughters during their college years and now to pray for my grandchildren as THEY start homeschooling with their moms. OH how I wish I’d known what a blessing it is to cry out for my children with other moms who feel as I do! Who better to meet their needs and the needs of their children than the God who made them … who loves them?
Whether you decide to join a Moms in Prayer group or not, dear mom, remember this: we don’t have to be in charge. God is! When we turn our worries and concerns over to Him … He quiets our hearts and gives us that “peace that transcends all understanding.” Oh. And savor those homeschool days. They go fast.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6, 7
Sharon Gamble, USA National Director for Moms in Prayer International, is a frequent speaker on the subject of prayer at ladies’ groups and conferences. She and her husband, Ray are parents of 2 girls, grandparents of 5.
