Scheduling and Prayer part 2

There are things that I feel are vital to our homeschool, but which get neglected.  Devotional time usually gets skipped, both family and personal devotions.  Laura had her devotional time scheduled into her curriculum the last couple of years in addition to her Bible study.  This worked well for her and is something I would like to continue with her and expand for all of us. Time with God in prayer and in His Word won't happen if it isn't on purpose.  Time as a family, praying together and learning about God together also won't happen if it isn't on purpose.

"We are busy being Martha. We are pushing to finish our daily schoolwork, keep up the laundry, do the chores, and put meals on the table. The list can be unending. There is much to do, and it is all very important.  Will we heed the voice of Jesus telling us that only one thing is 'needful'? Despite how we feel about what we are accomplishing and what we are not getting to, the one 'needful' thing is our time with Him."  -  Teri Maxwell in Homeschooling With a Meek and Quiet Spirit

What the world calls coincidence, I know is from God.  One thing that has been shown very clearly to me is that academics, no matter how important, won't happen the way they should if my family doesn't spend time with the Lord.  Oh, the kids may complete their math assignments and read that history book, but they will not feel the Lord by their side as they do so.  They won't have those Godly connections that only God could arrange.  It's not a coincidence that, as we have time with the Lord in the morning, a verse may stick out and come up again throughout the day.    It's not a coincidence when, reading about David's struggles, we also read about the struggles of a famous missionary, and then realize that God is helping us through our struggles.  When we spend time with the Lord, praying or getting into His Word, this type of "coincidence" happens quite often.

In order for these things to happen, I've come to the realization that I have to schedule them.  I have to place them as important on the list too, not somewhere at the bottom that I'll get to if we finish everything else.  This is foundational for Christians and for Christian homeschoolers.  While that should be common sense, it really doesn't always play out that way when we attempt to just "go with the flow".  Suddenly, it seems more important to get that kid working on that math assignment after they way he has struggled.  The exhaustion that is plaguing you since your baby woke you up at four in the morning has you longing for your bed more than morning devotions.  And lets not get into the fact that dishes are piled in the sink, the floor needs to be properly mopped after the milk incident at breakfast, and the phone is ringing... again.

Yes, I've been there.  We all have.  Even moms with one child have mornings like this, perhaps years like this.  It is because of mornings like this that we have to put God first.  Mornings like this tend to lead to entire days like this.  I've noticed that it gets worse if we aren't spending time with God.  Is time with God a cure-all?  Well, to be honest, the more time I spend with God and the more I push to be closer to Him, the more Satan does everything he can to make things more challenging.  However, I rest in the fact that God says:

You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.  Jeremiah 29:13

Things may not go perfectly all the time, but I trust that my efforts to teach my children about Christ and to spend time with Him myself will never be in vain.  It is usually only Christ that can calm me when my patience is tested, when my heart is hurting, when my frustration level has risen.  I want my children to see me as a Godly woman.  I want them to know that they can do anything God leads them to do, because they have God walking with them every step of the way.