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Seasons of a Mother’s Heart ~ Recap

Amanda Pelser — November 25, 2011 — Leave a comment

I hope you enjoyed journeying with me as I linked up with Home with the Boys and read Seasons of a Mother’s Heart by Sally Clarkson. This was a wonderful book that I recommend that all homeschool moms read.

Here’s my whole series on Seasons of a Mother’s Heart:

Chapter 1: Celebrating Life

Chapter 2: Changing My Will

Chapter 3: Beside Still Waters

Chapter 4: Building Your House

Chapter 5: Planning to Live

Chapter 6: Surprised by Joy

Chapter 7: A Touch of Sympathy

Chapter 8: Freedom from Guilt

Chapter 9: Living with Discipleship

Chapter 10: Prayers from Home

Chapter 11: Light in the Darkness

Chapter 12: Enduring with Grace

Have you read Season’s of a Mother’s Heart? Share your thoughts!

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Seasons of a Mother’s Heart ~ Chapter 12

Amanda Pelser — November 18, 2011 — 2 Comments

I’m linking up with Home with the Boys and reading Seasons of a Mother’s Heart by Sally Clarkson. If you’d like to join in, here is the original post from Erin with the details and reading schedule.

… I am doing the will of God by choosing to homeschool my children, then I need to endure. … When I feel like giving up, I may think what I need is diving deliverance, when what I really need is endurance. pg. 223
I chose instead to endure the difficulties, not because I had to, but because I truly believed that I was doing God’s will and that God would reward my endurance. I endured by faith. pg. 224
God has encouraged my through the years not to look at my children simply as they are at any point in time, but rather, in light of what God is making them. pg. 227
… make your priority whatever God is doing in your life right now. pg. 228
To perform one’s duty meant that I person did what he was supposed to do because it was the right thing to do, regardless of his feeling or the personal cost associated with that duty. … In a sense, endurance the duty of living by faith. pg. 230

Homeschooling is hard. Did anyone tell you that before you started homeschooling? Knowing how to homeschool is only part of the battle. There’s opposition from the outside and the inside some days.

So, how do I get through the tough days? I have to focus on what God has for me today. Not tomorrow. Not what He’s called someone else to do. What has God called me to do today? One day at a time.

If God has called you to homeschool, He has called you to endure to the end. Homeschooling is marathon, not a sprint. But, isn’t most of life like that?

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

Before I know it, my boys will be graduating and off to do what God has called them to do and that depends on me running my race with endurance.

How do you endure?

In Books, Homeschooling books, discussion group, endurance, homeschool how to, Seasons of a Mother's Heart

Seasons of a Mother’s Heart ~ Chapter 11

Amanda Pelser — November 11, 2011 — Leave a comment

Some great quotes from chapter 11:

I need to look for God’s light when the darkness comes. pg. 210
First, I must choose to faithfully depend on God. Then, I must faithfully obey God. Finally, I must faithfully wait on God. pg. 211
… acknowledge that life is hard and sometimes sad and that we need God to make it through. pg. 211
Only God can strengthen you to do “all things” he has asked you to do as a homeschooling mom. pg. 212
Genuine faith is expressed in a believer’s life through obedience to God. pg. 213
… simply obey God’s word and let his Spirit change me through the circumstances. pg. 214
Obedience is rarely easy. pg. 214
In the Bible, waiting is often synonymous with hope. … It means looking ahead with eager anticipation, knowing that God will do something good. pg. 215

We all go through ups and downs emotionally. Some downs are worse than others. Sometimes it passes quickly. And sometimes it doesn’t pass so quickly.

Know that you’re not alone in dealing with these dark days or periods in your life. Stay faithful to your calling from God. Trust Him to guide you through it. Reach out to family and friends to help you through.

If you think your lows are depression, get help. I recently wrote a whole series on finding joy in depression and you might want to start there. If you suffer with depression, reach out and share your story.

In Books, Homeschooling books, depression, discussion group, Seasons of a Mother's Heart

Seasons of a Mother’s Heart ~ Chapter 10

Amanda Pelser — November 4, 2011 — 2 Comments

Some of my favorite quotes from Chapter 10:

How they turn out will depend more on how much I prayed for them, how much I depended on God, rather than on how much I did for them. pg. 196
I cannot do it without God’s grace. pg. 196
Prayer is a means by which God releases more of his grace into my life. Without prayer, I cut myself off from a major source of the grace of God. pg. 197
Only prayer that is “in the Spirit” will have power to defeat the enemy against whom I pray. pg. 198
My children need me to pray for them as they engage in their own spiritual battles. pg. 199
But prayer… it is never really finished. pg. 200

Sally’s words in this book have come to me like they are words straight from God… and it happened again this week.

Being a perfectionistic type A personality, I think I can do anything and that checking things off my to-do list is the top thing on my list of priorities. {Want a wake up call on that one? Read this from my friend Rebecca at Moms Mustard Seeds.} I check off one thing just in time to have to do it again. So many things to DO that I forget about what I need BE. What my children need most from me is prayer, not all my running around doing.

First they need me to simply be praying so that I’m connected to God. When I’m connected to God in prayer, I’m more understanding and gracious. God gives me the grace I need to make it through each day.

Second, they need me praying for them. Praying for their todays and their tomorrows. It is my responsibility to be praying for their growth and protection. No one else can pray like for them like their momma. No one else can have that kind of understanding and determination in prayer for them except me. Me. Only me.

Stop making check marks. Put the to do list down. Make praying for your kids a priority.

How do you pray for your kids? How do you make it a priority?

In Books, Homeschooling books, discussion group, prayer, Seasons of a Mother's Heart

Seasons of a Mother’s Heart ~ Chapter 9

Amanda Pelser — October 28, 2011 — Leave a comment

Some of my favorite quotes from this chapter:

Discipleship is not just a formal, step-by-step procedure that our children that our children must perform; it is a natural, relational learning process. pg. 167
{Personal relationship is…} a relationship that can move easily from facts and details to faith and feelings. pg. 169
Loving personal relationship would be the mark of true discipleship. pg. 169
I am convinced that God has built into the mother-child relationship much of the same dynamic seen in the relationship between Jesus and his disciples. By God’s design, your children are meant to be with you. pg. 169
{Jesus’ three spiritual priorities with his disciples…} training them to minister, teaching them his truth, and modeling his life. pg. 171
They need me to be there during the many teachable moments of each day, transforming them into discipling moments because of my spiritual inent for their lives. pg. 171
Discipleship is life, not a lesson. pg. 174

The idea of discipling our children can seem overwhelming. Many moms think that they aren’t qualified to disciple their children and try to turn that responsibility over to the church or try to use too many systems and curriculum to disciple their kids.

Discipleship is so much more simple than that. It starts with being with your kids. Simply loving them and having a relationship with them. Then add turning the everyday things into spiritual lessons. Then, live out your faith in front of them.

I don’t know about you, but I want to be the primary influence on my boys, along with Josh. We want to be with them and teaching them rather than turning that over to someone else. I’m so glad that I have the opportunity to be with them each day!

How do you disciple your kids?

In Books, Faith, Homeschooling books, discipleship, discussion group, Seasons of a Mother's Heart