Monday, August 17, 2009

Relaxed or Lazy?

In the ten years of our homeschooling journey,
I've always leaned towards a relaxed approach.
But over the years, I have learned that
there is a fine line between relaxed and lazy.

The Holy Spirit is Faithful in growing me
and changing my way of thinking
as I seek to learn more and serve Him.
Something that I have learned about myself
(which, generally, tends to be painful)
is that for many years, I have used my "relaxed approach"
to justify my selfishness, lack of self-discipline
and motivation, and , overall, laziness.
He has opened my eyes to some of the bad habits
that my lack of consistency and faithfulness have born
and, though painful, I am praising Him for it.

I have never been a 'schedule person'.
In fact, the idea of a schedule will sometimes overwhelm me.
I have been able, in the past, to sit down
and create schedules but, alas, they become
pieces of pretty and well thought out ideas
collecting dust, age, and creases in a drawer somewhere.

Why did I not wrap my mind around it before? I don't know.
But, as only HE can, He has opened my eyes
and brought me, again, to a Scripture that, in the past,
I liked to "sugar coat"... knowing it was a "good idea"
but not something I, necessarily, needed to apply right away.
(Sounds ridiculous, I know)
But, thankfully, God's Word is Simple, Clear, and True
and so is His character.
All of creation was made in a particular order
and continues still, in an orderly way.
He is a God of order and One Who desires order.

"Let us do all things decently and in order."
~ 1 Corinthians 14:40

decently ~ suitably; decorously {suitable to a character}
in order ~ regular arrangement

That being said, prayerfully I sat to make a schedule
that would accomplish what I believe the Lord
would have for our family to do.
Today, bathed in prayer, we began implementing it.
Our first morning went very well,
though we encountered a few "situations",
He helped and gave us the victory. Praise Him!
By His grace and help, we will continue in it,
adjusting where He reveals is needed.
We will not be a slave to it, however.
When days call for us to be out of the house
(whether running errands, serving Him elsewhere)
or other situations arise, we understand that
interruptions are allowed of the Lord and will adjust as needed.

Below is a photo of our schedule with His command at the top,
reminding us why we will be doing what we'll do.


{click to enlarge}

We look forward to honoring Him
as we, prayerfully, redeem the time He has entrusted us with.

"... that in all things he might have the preeminence."
~ Colossians 1:18


9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wonderful post! ~Bev

Elizabeth said...

As my kids have been getting older we have implemented chore charts that the kids can read. My goal is to put into practice a fully scheduled day. Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later.

Keep us up to speed on how the schedule works for you.

Susan said...

This was very timely! Although I will only have one child still home with me this year, I'm gaining other responsibilities and can still see the need for some "decently and in order" in my life. I am a wonderful planner but a horrible carry-outer!;)

Praying that your schedule works well for you this year, because you are seeking to honor the Lord with it!

Anonymous said...

I needed this post. Thank you!

Mrs. Taft said...

Wonderful post! Laziness is my besetting sin. You are a source of inspiration to me :)

HsKubes said...

Bev ~ Thank you. ;o)

Elizabeth ~ My goal, too, is to get a fully scheduled day, though a few hours in the evening will always be more flexible as Daddy is home. ;o)

Susan ~ I, too, am a horrible "carry-outer". Lord willing, I'm aiming to change that. ;o) Thank you for your encouragement and your prayers.

Anonymous ~ Praise the Lord He used this post. Thank you for sharing. ;o)

Mrs. Taft ~ It is my "besetting sin", as well. I am praying the Lord will give me the victory and accepting that it really does take hard work on my end, too. ;o) Praying He guides you.


~ Christina

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing your schedule. The other day, I was pondering our schedule and just knew that I need to re-write ours a bit. Mine is posted on my blog under Homeschooling if you wanted to see it.

I LOVE the verse at the top. Do you mind if I borrow that idea?

Thanks for sharing <><
~Mrs.Cuddles

PlainJane said...

Wonderful schedule!!! I like to have schedules but with lots of grace in the time slots so I don't feel like a slave to it too. With every passing year I get more & more relaxed.

HsKubes said...

Mrs. Cuddles ~ I look forward to looking at your schedule.
I don't mind, at all, if you use that idea. It's really helping me to grasp the fact that God commands we do things daily, decently and in order. What motivation!

Jane ~ Thank you. I, too, tried to allot for "grace" time. So far it is working well with the time slots I have given us. I, too, love being relaxed but am enjoying learning how to be relaxed AND scheduled. I feel like that's an oxymoron, but it really isn't. lol ;o)

~ Christina

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