One Needful Thing

Okay- So I have decided that I'm going to start putting my devotional journal, thoughts, etc. into my family blog.  I often read great articles as well that I will probably cut and paste from as well to save having to keep the paper.  Why?  Because, I don't have the time to make a seperate blog, and I think it is of vital importance to write down our thoughts for future generations as they pertain to God's Word and Wisdom.  Where would we be without our beloved Biblical authors?!  Simple enough, enough said.

So, here goes my latest thoughts on something that I've been struggling with lately.  Some thoughts I gleaned from a recent article from a Jewish magazine.

While we are teaching our children to study, research, and write, we need to remember that they are establishing and perfecting tools that they will one day use to God’s glory, depending on their unique, individual talents.


Homeschoolers sometimes get so wrapped up in academics they forget the one needful thing.  We start to worship the academic God rather than the one true God that deserves our be all and end all.

Remember the story of Mary and Martha-  Martha was very busy with preparations as Mary sat at the feet of Christ. When Martha complained about Mary, Jesus answered and said unto her, “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:40–42).

Only One Thing is Necessary!

The lesson is simple: only one thing is truly necessary. Everything else that does not promote that one thing is extra. A willingness to sit at Jesus’ feet and hear His Word is the most important thing we can ever teach our children. Sensible Martha had many accomplishments, but worry and trouble were her rewards. Mary, on the other hand, was praised for choosing that good thing which was itself her reward and which would not be taken away from her.

Martha’s preparation work was not wrong; in fact, it was important. I think most of us tend to be more of a Martha than a Mary and there's nothing wrong with preparation, planning, and organizing.  Yet it was Martha’s focus that was wrong. I have to remind myself of this often!  I keep a smooth running, generally clean house, which I don't find much effort for me.  I'm very organized and energetic so it comes naturally for me.  I'd rather get something in order than sit down and leisure read or watch TV or take up a hobby.  I have hobbies, but they come second to keeping my home.  Cleaning is kind of like a hobby.  I don't stress about it generally and I'm laid back, but I am a planner and a doer.  Thankfully I'm not a worrier though, yet I don't especially like to entertain.  I'm not a "more the merrier" person.

Last year, I used to prefer to get my house in order before sitting down and working with the children.  It wasn't until I started to homeschool that I realized the importance and pure joy of making their time a priority and doing the work with the kids first and take on mopping or scrubbing the tub takes second place.  I was promptly blessed in seeing the benefits by reversing this order. 

It is our focus that makes the difference. Social achievement, which the world stresses so much, is important; but it is nothing without Christ.  “But what about academics—math, language arts, history, and science?” Of course these things matter, but only as they sharpen your focus on the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Academic subjects are important tools, but they are only tools, not the goal. The moment academics cloud your view, to whatever degree they slow your pursuit of God’s will, they then move from being helpful tools to what Jesus calls “cares of this life.” 

Homeschooling isn't a matter of academics.  It's a matter of character.  Do I spend 4-5 hours a day on the academics and are my kids on target or advanced for where they "should be"?  Absolutely!  But I think God has blessed me the peace and benefits that come as a result of integrating Him into every subject because every subject (academically and otherwise) comes from HIM!

Here is an excerpt from the article.  "Do not let the important keep you from the necessary. And, in Jesus’ words, only one thing is truly necessary. It is a message both simple and profound: simple because the truth of it is not complicated, but perfectly evident, and profound because the truth in everyday life cuts across everything that habit and fleshly indulgence have trained us to accept as important or even necessary. A godly person who is determined to know Jesus above all else will find all academic studies based in the simple reality of all things work(ing) together for good to them who love God and are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28)."  This is straight from the article I read and how profound and prevalent it is!!!

Additional thoughts:  Homeschoolers are blessed with extra time to study God’s Word. We should take the time to set strivings and anxieties aside . Discover and understand who Christ is. Sit at His feet and feast at the table of His mercy, forgiveness, and peace. Learn the unseen things of God. The spiritual life is that good part, which shall not be taken away from you or from your children!

True wisdom is the ability to judge correctly and to follow the best course of action, based on knowledge and understanding. If you really want to teach true wisdom, spend a significant amount of your homeschool time studying and teaching God’s Word. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).

So there you have it.  My first "thoughts" blog. 
Ahhh....my brain downloaded into an electronic venue....the 21st century equivalent of liberating.