As I’ve said before, these posts on Homeschooling with Purpose are not about  charts and lists and schedules, they are about the heart behind all of that.  If you want charts and lists and schedules, feel free to look here, but when the going gets tough, the stamina you will need to keep going won’t be found in those things.  You will have to dig deeper!

One place that often feels off track is our day.

In the morning, we hit the ground running.  How can we not?  If we let one little thing slip, we are doomed to a day of perpetual “behind-ness”.  And behind-ness leads to a grouchy mommy, grouchy children, and a less-than-peaceful home.

Sometimes we feel like the purpose of our day is to survive it!

But we know in our hearts this isn’t the way it is supposed to be.  So, what is the purpose of our day as homeschooling mothers?

An even better question would be…

Who is glorified in our day?

So often we miss the point behind ordering our day.  We get caught up in the HOW TO and remain ignorant to the WHY.

Our day with all its chores, and lessons, and interruptions, triumphs, and heartache, and beauty are a testament to the Lord’s goodness and mercy in our lives.  Our day should point to the Cross…the empty Cross!  A Cross that has been conquered!

So, then why do we feel less than victorious at the end of the day?  Here are just a few of the issues I have observed in my own life and the lives of other homeschooling mothers that keep us from a day that is purposeful for Christ:

*We think the only “good” day is one that is kept perfectly on track. We are beholden to a standard of human perfection that will always fail.  We allow one mishap to throw us off track for the rest of the day.  We forget that interruptions and deviations from our schedule can be gifts from the Lord!

*We allow ourselves to get sidetracked. This is the flip-side of the one above.  This is where we cause the interruptions and deviations ourselves.  The internet, the phone, the running from house to house…blog to blog…facebook page to facebook page… *sigh*  We fail to keep those things in their place and therefore fail to keep perspective on our day.

*We aren’t living in the Spirit. We aren’t immersed in the Word of God to the point that every step we take is ordered by the Lord.  Our day quickly becomes a rat race when the race we are running isn’t heading in the direction of the only Prize worth running for!

*We don’t see God in “the little things.” We think God only cares about the big events of our lives.  We fail to see His hand in all our comings and goings.  Because of this, we fail to see how our measly little homeschooling day has any part in God’s plan.  We don’t understand the depth of what we are doing.

*We are lazy. *GASP!* Did I just say that aloud?  Someone had to.  Sometimes the only reason our day is purposeless is because we just don’t want to work at it.

Bathe your day in prayer, ladies.  Ask the Lord to show you why you feel aimless and lost.  Ask the Lord to set your house in order and give your day purpose.

He is faithful!

I also want to offer you some resources that speak to a day ordered for the Lord. (all pictures are clickable)

Audio CD from Susan Bradrick

This is one of my favorite resources for not only offering practical tips (the CD has pdf’s included), but for giving you the REASON you order your day.  Her wisdom and admonishments are incredibly valuable for young mothers.

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This is a must-have in my opinion!  I love that this book is NOT a how-to manual, but rather encouragement to seek the Lord as a homemaker and mother and order your day accordingly.

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The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer

This book is about finding beauty in the everyday and working at home for the glory of the Lord…even in the little things!

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This is a quick and meaty read!  This book really helped to focus our homeschool during a time when I felt very unfocused and bogged down.

May the Lord bless your day, ladies!