A Heart for Homeschooling

I find that every year seems to have its struggles in the homeschooling journey. Sometimes it is because life throws your family a curveball and months on end become all about ‘just getting through’. Other times it is struggles with the children and their growth/maturity. And then, sometimes the struggles fall at your own feet as a mother.

I think this has been me this year of 2025. It has been the ‘I-Have-Forgotten-Why-We-Began-This’ year for me – that is, for much of this year, I lost the core beliefs and convictions about why we sensed God leading to home education in the first place. I began to worry about the upcoming high school years and whether we were doing ‘enough’. And I allowed fear and doubt to creep in which, for months, directed how I was mothering and leading the children’s learning.

Above all, I lost my joy for this privilege of having the children home and being part of their education.

It is a weakness of mine to worry about what other people are doing or thinking and comparing our life to someone else – homeschooling or not. I think perhaps, as a way of sanctification, the Lord knew that living on a different path would be the very best thing for me and this struggle that I have.

Every season of mothering and home education requires us to keep stepping out in obedience and live by faith, trusting the fruit of our faithfulness to God and His almighty stake in our (His) children’s lives.

For me, with these older years approaching, it is no different to that original jump to homeschool. I still have to know deep, deep down that this is still what God wants our family to be doing and that the ‘risks’ are no greater now than they were before. The blessing now is that we are already seeing fruit in our family life that wasn’t there at the start, and it is like a taster from the Lord saying, “Keep going! This is worth it!”

And this is where our joy in homeschooling comes from – knowing deep down that what we are doing gives our God joy and pleasure because we are obeying Him.

By His grace, we are truly living to what He created motherhood and family life to be – a close and connected journey that we do together. From babyhood all the way through to their adulthood, we are walking by the way, teaching and living out the truth to one another (Deuteronomy 6). Though our joy may get sucked out of us because days might be hard, attitudes might be poor, or insecurity gets us down – God’s joy is not sucked from Him! And His joy can always be our joy when we are seeking His approval, His standard, His vision.

I have made mistakes this year. Old habits and struggles die hard. But God knew that before I made those mistakes, and He still has joy for me and the children. His mercies are made new, not only each day, but each year! Praise God! If we end one year feeling “I wish I had…” or “We should have…”, His mercy is ready right now to wash those regrets or mistakes clean. He is willing to renew my attitude or heart condition. He wants to give me joy again for this task He has called me to.

So, friend, if you feel as if you have lost the joy that is yours in homeschooling, seek the Lord.

Put aside all distractions and block out all the noise. Come to Him, in solitary expectancy, and seek His face for you and your homeschool. He is ever faithful and will restore to you – as He is to me – hope and joy and love and purpose again. We may have mourned through the night, but joy does come in the morning.