I’m sitting at church, dutifully taking notes as our pastor shares from God’s word, when my husband leans over and glances at what I have written. He shoots me a look of real concern.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
I looked down at my notes and realized his alarm was valid. All my nouns were boxed, my verbs were underlined twice, and my prepositional phrases were bracketed. I had diagrammed the entire note taking page without realizing it! With a half-hearted smile I said, “I’m diagramming my sentences. I taught the kids about it this week in their language arts program.”
“I have got to get you out more often,” he whispered back.
I realized at that moment that I had not been out of the house all week except for church. I had not talked to an adult except some fact exchanging words with my husband and more importantly I had not sat at the feet of Jesus to be filled with His love and encouraging words. I had home schooled, that was it, period. My husband’s apprehension about me was justified.
Burn out for me was on the horizon.
At times, home educating can be all-consuming. It is vitally is important that we recognize and honor that God made us with four components: heart, mind, soul, and strength.
These components are so important to Jesus that He said in Mark 12:30 that this is the foremost commandment:
“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your mind,
and with all your strength.”
The heart, soul, mind, and strength all deal with our inner life. It makes up who we are as a person. God placed those four components in a body.
Romans 12:1 says;
“I urge you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God which is your
spiritual service of worship.”
The commandment in Mark 12:30 being the top, numero uno commandment challenges me to look at each part of who I am and devote that part of myself fully to my Lord.
If I miss this,I miss everything!
This is where we need to begin our organizational journey.
In the coming sessions, we will explore each of the components of heart, mind, soul, and strength.
As a home school mom, there so many times I feel off balance. When I center myself on this core commandment it helps me from toppling over.
Oh the joy, the refreshment, and love our great God has for us!!!
His commandments are pure, holy, and life-giving!!!
Prayer: Lord, help me to learn what it means to love you with all my heart, mind, soul and strength!
Organizationally Yours,
Beth
What are your thoughts?
1. What is the wisdom behind loving God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength as the foundation to organization?
2. In this commandment, it is obvious that God is concerned with what is happening on the inside rather than what is occurring in our outside behavior.
• What are the benefits of examining our heart, soul, mind, and strength in light of our relationship with God?
• What are the benefits of examining our heart, soul, mind and strength in light of our relationship with others?
Date Night: Resolving to be dedicated to the commandment in Mark 12:30 is also the foundation to your marriage.
In the marriage relationship, each partner is responsible for their own commitment to this commandment. However, many times one partner will feel that their commitment to the commandment is stronger than their partner’s and resentment can creep into the relationship. To prevent division, celebrate your spouse’s spiritual walk by thanking them for all the things they do to walk in the commandment. Start by making a list and then arrange a special date. Spend time thanking them specifically for their commitment to God.
If your spouse is not a believer, consider the spiritual areas that you can thank him/her for. Ask God to show you specifically how you can appreciate and respect their spiritual journey. Spend a special time of thanksgiving for where your spouse is at this moment. Share with them your appreciation and respect.
Notebook Time: Journal your thoughts and the treasures you have learned from this lesson.
Creative Commons picture attribution credit:Palosirkka