Issue 8 - January 15, 1998
by Diana Waring
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Dear Friends, I love winter in South Dakota! The nose-squeezing cold (hovering around zero degrees Farenheit), the crunchy, white snow (inches of the stuff), the spectacular Black Hills (laced in white), and our contingent of fluffy birds feeding outside the windows. It's just the sort of weather to make one glad to be at home! Having said all that, however, I still need to 'fess up to a bit of the "winter blues". How about you? Are you enjoying the adventures of life, or are you struggling beneath the burdens? As I was praying about this newsletter, it seemed clear that if I were to be honest with you (!), there would have to be an admission that I've been grumpy and tense over the past few weeks. And why have I been grumpy? Oh, I have all sorts of "reasons" that I can dredge up to justify my attitude. But the true reason - the bottom line attitude - is a lack of thankfulness and contentment. "Now godliness with contentment is great gain." 1 Timothy 6:6 Hmmm. This scripture can really get in your face when your whining. "But, Lord, I just don't have any time for myself!" "But, Lord, I'm not losing weight as fast as I want to!" "But, Lord, we don't have enough money to do this!" "But, Lord, nobody notices all of the work I've been doing around here!" Yada... yada... yada... (translation: "Etc., etc., etc., ...") What does it mean to be content? Does it mean that you have everything you want? If so, my friends, we're all in trouble! Or, does being content actually mean being thankful and grateful for what God has given? "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:11-13 If you are beginning to wonder what this all has to do with homeschooling, hang in there. As the saying goes, "Your attitude will determine your altitude!" Don't we all want to soar like eagles when it comes to homeschooling our beloved children? There are two areas we need to consider as we seek to be content: a quiet, trusting repose in the Lord for His provisions; and a thankful heart for what He's already given. When we are in stark, raving need, how can we be content? The answer is found in Philippians 4:6 - 7: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." A dear friend e-mailed me last week with an urgent prayer request for her mother's cancer surgery. Later, she wrote back to describe the way her week had been going... (reprinted by permission) "Dear Diana, Praise God from whom all blessings flow! THANK YOU for your prayers! Mom is doing very well at this point. The surgery went well; the chest x-ray was "all clear", no nausea, pain is manageable, and she is eating and sleeping pretty normally. It is such a relief to be on this side of the surgery, although we realize that we've just begun on the path ahead. Her outlook is anchored on the Rock; and she is confident that our Abba is in control. Dad is doing well; I know he's relieved to be on this side of the surgery too. It is so precious how God has so clearly and directly made His presence known to us through all of this. I had lunch with a dear friend the week before Christmas, and on the way home was praising God for all His goodness. As I was reviewing how much He has blessed us with a church family, and a good year, He interrupted me and impressed me with the truth that, "It will be hard, but I will be with you." I thought that was rather odd and out of context, and dismissed it. That evening, my husband came home from work and told me that his position was being eliminated by Jan 31. Shock! We hit our knees to seek direction, and began to entertain the idea of self-employment (the customers he has been serving were also going to be without support, a built-in customer base). I thought, OK, this is the "hard"; we've been down this road before, and we must trust God through this unknown. The next day, Mom had a routine physical, and the cancer was discovered. Ok; maybe this too, is part of the "hard". Gulp. Ok, God; I must trust you with my Mom's health too. This week began with some more doses of "hard"...my emergency room trip, my daughter's flu, Mom's surgery. We do know that chemo is part of the ongoing "hard". We have seen God so abundantly meet us all in each of these trials with His Peace, and Presence. My husband began his new job today (two days early) because their entire computer system crashed yesterday. We are thankful there is work provided so quickly, and the position is better in opportunity, training, benefits, stress, and pay than before. My daughter is well now, and I am breathing fine now. We need to find out what is causing these allergic reactions, so we'll be better able to avoid them. It seems that what were certainties, or anchors, in my life have been pulled up, and I am consciously being challenged to trust Him only. I thought that my asthma and allergies were under control with homeopathy: it is not working now. Traditional meds are working for the asthma, but not for the allergy. Another "anchor" was that Mom had beaten the cancer from 8 years ago, so that battle was finished. It's not. Even job security is not security. Does this make sense? God is so good to redirect us to keep our eyes fixed on Him! 2 Corinthians 4, James 1, and Joshua 1:9 have become our reason for hope and focus in the midst of these trials. God is just SO good! " Amen. Doesn't it just take your breath away to realize that even in the midst of the most devastating circumstances, God will give us His peace and His presence? Let us not confuse the word "content" with "comfortable". I may or may not be comfortable in my situation at the moment, but I CAN be content! Is this a reasonable, rational response to trouble? Yes!... because of God's unchanging faithfulness and goodness. The other area we must examine, if we are to be content, is the matter of thankfulness. The other day in my reading, I came across this thought: "If God allowed us to only have what we had given thanks for, what would we be left with?" Hmmm... Probably not my feet, or my back, or my eyes, or my chair, or my kitchen, or my dulcimer, or my grandmother's china bowls, or my children's delight in making a mess, or my sewing machine surrounded by mending... If we stop looking at our life as "half-empty", and begin to look at it as "half-full", then gratitude and thanksgiving will begin to bubble up out of the innermost part of our being. Or, if you prefer to have it in King James: "In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God concerning you in Christ Jesus." I Thessalonians 5:18 "Thank you, Lord, for the privilege of homeschooling!" (In many places of the world, this would be impossible.) "Thank you, Lord, for the food we have... And the creativity You give me to make a good meal out of it!" "Thank you, Lord, for the mountains of laundry! Give me Your wisdom to know if we have more clothes than we need, and who would be blessed to receive the rest." "Thank you, Lord, for providing us with the means of cleaning up all this dirt out of the living room!" (What was it like before vacuum cleaners????) "Thank you, Lord, that You only gave us 24 hours in a day!!! Any more, and I would have keeled over with exhaustion!" "Most of all, Lord, thank You for loving us, and for bringing us to Yourself through Your Son, Jesus Christ." Amen! My dear friends, join me in throwing out the excuses for complaining, and begin focusing on giving thanks! It will transform not only your homeschool, but your life. Blessings, Diana P.S. Be sure to check out our Laughing Corner - remember, "a merry heart doeth good like a medicine!" Return to the List of Newsletter Issues

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