Can I tell you about the best weekend ever? Twelve friends and I loaded down two minivans and headed off to a homeschooling mom’s conference. At an ocean-view hotel. With no kids. It was awesome. 

We were pampered and cooked for. Encouraged, inspired and pep talked. We stayed up late chatting like college girls again. We sang together and prayed blessings for each other on the beach. It was tired-Mom heaven.

For a whole weekend we sat in awe as one by one, meek older moms took the stage, each with at least six kids, and told us their path to success: Happy, well-adjusted kids that they knew well and had discipled individually. Many had eight kids they had homeschooled expertly and told us how they were watching their kids flutter from the nest off to a great college, with violin in hand.

Our heads and hearts were filled with inspiration and soon we were recharged to go home.

 

 

Together we were going to bust out of the hotel doors like modern (modestly-dressed) Charlie’s Angels ready to take charge of our children and their manners and their education like the life or death mission that it is. Irreversibly destined to be agreeable wives and impeccable housekeepers.

I couldn’t wait to get home and start my new life – Making every moment of the day a learning opportunity, spouting Bible verses in response to every problem, perfectly patient no matter how big the messes got. We were going to be Godly and unflappable. At least those were my silent plans.

 

But a funny thing happened on the way home.

 

As each retold their highlights my heart began to sink beneath a strange weight. I was making every great idea my mental maternal to-do list. Surely since I only have 2 kids I can do for them what all of those moms did for their 8 children!

With only 2 kids I could:

• Run with them and train for marathons
• Take on individual dates, weekly
• Do crafts and hobbies
• Learn a new instrument
• Read and discuss books
• Take for walks and hikes to discuss life
• Volunteer in youth group and nursery
• Cook favorite meals weekly and know their every thought and heart’s desire

 

I could do all that, right? After all, I only have 2 kids!

 

Not even home from the 3 hour drive, I was sinking in my own devised guilt. I grew quiet and tearful knowing I was returning home just to fail my family with a greater knowledge now of just how badly I was failing them.

 

This discouragement followed me overnight.

 

By 8 A.M., though I’d determined to wake up awesome, the father of lies was up early whispering in my ear.

I walked into the room shared by my two boys….and I don’t know why I was surprised, but it was a mess! Their room was impassable, like a Lego factory had blown up and I think I even spotted some folded laundry behind their bed, my biggest pet peeve.

I lost it. And I yelled. My inner condemnation had overwhelmed me.

Thoughts like,

“You are an awful mother! You’re failing at homeschooling and they’ll never go to college or find wives to live with them. I bet the conference speaker’s kid’s rooms are never this messy!”

 

What a way to start my comeback!

 

Everything I had wrongly heaped on myself at the conference crashed to the floor with me as I grabbed my upset boys into my arms. I recognized my thoughts as the ugly lies they were and rejected them before the Lord. These thoughts were ridiculous and did not fit my situation and did not come from Him.

I repented of the lies and asked God to show me what I was doing right.  One thing was that I was willing to apologize to my kids.

 

 

By 8:30 things had changed.

I had rescued that day.

I helped them clean their room and then we played a game. Everything was going to be alright. Even if I couldn’t do daily what a panel of moms combined could do, over decades, with dozens of children.

That wasn’t realistic at all or God’s plan for me.

 

To me, this exemplifies what it means to “take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”

“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” 

2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV

 

I continually ask God to help me separate truth from lies so I can submit them to Him and accept His voice as my life coach. To me this is this verse carried out in practicality and power.

 

So, what would I encourage you to do if invited to an encouraging Mom conference?

Go, and take notes, and remember nuggets of wisdom. Learn from what other moms did and realize every family is different.  But then, when you go home, sit before your list with the Lord and ask Him what thing/s you could implement that fit your children and personality and situation. And don’t trade all that encouragement for guilt.

 

 

 

You can read more about a day with one of my favorite conference speakers here. 

Or check out some of my favorite ideas for a great start to your homeschool day here. 

 

 

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