Do You Pray or Plan?
Do you pray or plan first?
I ask myself that question frequently. Do I pray or plan first –in other words, do I jump into action right away, or do I take the time to pray and ask for wisdom and guidance before I begin planning our kids’ home education?
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You know the story — Mary wanted to sit at Jesus’ feet, while Martha was more of a woman of action. I am afraid my natural, type-A self is more of a Martha than a Mary. Years ago, I read/studied the timeless book Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. Not only was this a great read, but it also reinforced the fact that I needed to spend time with Jesus in prayer before I jumped in to add this or that new activity to our already busy homeschool days.
If that is something you have a tendency to do, too, it might help you to read this post offering some poignant Scripture verses applicable to your homeschool journey as you seek the Lord’s guidance for your children’s home education.
After all, if we want to bring our children’s home education to life and have happy, thriving home, creating the habit of praying over our children, our curricula, and our priorities should be a no-brainer.
Maybe you jump back-and-forth between praying and planning at times, like me.
Maybe you’re more of a wing it, let’s-see-where-this-rabbit-trail-goes, oops-we-forgot-to-do-science-last-semester type.
(I have been that mom, too…)
If that describes you, along with praying, it may be time to do some planning to ensure that you cover what you need to cover.  Here’s how to set some structured goals if you struggle with that. Setting and accomplishing specific goals motivates you and is a powerful example for your kids.
But what if you just began homeschooling and are having trouble getting your children to listen to you?
You need both prayer and planning, as we all do! Start with prayer. Then make plans to do some basic habit training. Teach your children a few of these Charlotte Mason-style habits to start with, and homeschooling will be MUCH easier. If you continue to guide your students in forming these valuable habits, it’s much more likely that your children will grow up and mature according to biblical standards, which is our primary goal as Christian parents!
Ideally, as we grow in our maturity as believers, we’ll demonstrate the best of both Martha and Mary. We will spend daily time sitting at His feet and asking for His wisdom and grace in parenting and home-educating our children.
And we will plan, using biblical priorities, to train our children’s character and teach them what they each need to know. We will model using our time wisely, according to the principles set forth in God’s Word.
What about you? Do you tend to be a “Martha” or “Mary” homeschooling mom? Are you learning and growing to rely more and more on the LORD as you undertake this huge task of home educating your children? If not, begin by sitting at His feet, and praying before you jump in to plan.
Love in Christ,
