BJU Press Blog

blessings

A Mother’s Nighttime Blessings

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a homeschool mother's nighttime blessings
A good night’s sleep—that elusive goal of every mom—often remains underappreciated by the general population. If you’re like me, you’ve spent many long nights feeding hungry babies, nursing sick children, and comforting little ones.

I distinctly remember the exuberant joy I felt the first time my firstborn slept five hours straight at night—an event worthy of a Facebook status update! But unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of the sleepless nights. My little girl soon started teething. Then came the occasional ear infections, coughing spells, and stomach bugs. Summer thunderstorms rolled in, and imaginary nighttime monsters peeked into rooms. Sleep became like a much-longed-for-friend who only occasionally came to visit.

Confession

And I have a confession to make: I love sleeping. So at first I resented being awakened at 2:00 a.m. by a screaming child. I longed to be able to push a “pause” button on mothering and snuggle under the covers for a good nap. But mothering, as you well know, does not fit into a tidy 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. schedule. It never stops.

I don’t think I will ever manage being woken at 2:00 a.m. with a smile on my face. But the Lord has been showing me how I can make the best of these unexpected wake-up calls.

Focus

Even though it is often more difficult in the nighttime hours, I can focus on exemplifying Christ to my children. Several times the Gospels tell us of how Christ had compassion on the multitudes even when He was physically weary. He never complained. He never sent them away. When I get up in the middle of the night to take care of my children, more than just being a good mom, I am living the love of Christ for them.

Additionally, these nighttime adventures provide me with more opportunities to fulfill the commandment of Deuteronomy 6:7 to talk to our children continually about God. When my little one is awakened from a nightmare or by a bad storm, I can comfort her with reminders that God is always watching over us, protecting His sons and daughters. When I’m rocking a sick child back to sleep, I can sing songs about God’s love and mercy.

And most of all, when I’m lacking sleep, I am continually reminded of my need to rely on the Lord’s strength. With countless other sleep-deprived moms, I echo the psalmist in Psalm 73:26, “My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.”

Ultimately, at the end of the long days that follow the sleepless nights, I am most blessed when I realize again that the Lord has sustained me.

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Why Do You Homeschool?

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Why do you homeschool?Ask homeschool parents the question, “Why do you homeschool?” and you’ll get a lot of different answers. Sometimes they are standard, but other times they include reasons I’ve never thought of before. One story in particular stood out to me.

Meet Deborah, a mom who homeschooled all four of her kids through the elementary grades. Her homeschool journey, like that of most homeschool parents, was filled with challenges and triumphs, but what holds true is the constant presence of God’s grace. I’ll let her take it from here.

“My husband and I met at college in South Carolina. Our plan after graduation was for my husband to assist in a church in Maine or one of the other New England states. Realizing there might be no good Christian school in the area, we decided to begin homeschooling our children.

“Plans changed. I was diagnosed with colon cancer, so that put things on hold. The Lord was merciful. The summer of my five-year cancer-free mark, we took a survey trip to New England. We camped in central Maine and traveled from there to different areas. We came home excited about the possibilities.

“But God closed doors, and we never made it to New England. My husband was diagnosed with ALS. You don’t always see the ‘whys,’ but at that time I saw why we needed to stay in South Carolina—to continue homeschooling during his illness and to be near our family as well as our wonderful church family.

“The kids were a great comfort and help throughout his illness. God extended our time together as a family. Homeschooling helped us all grow through the experience. My husband passed away two and a half years later. We were able to build close relationships. I cherish those days—probably more than my kids did.”

Today Deborah’s children are grown and have been blessed with rewarding careers as a pilot, a missionary teacher, a business professional, and an artist. Deborah believes the Lord led her to homeschool because it allowed her to spend time with her family, to develop the unbreakable bonds she shares with her children today, and to build the eternal relationship they all share with the Lord Jesus Christ.

There’s a lot more to Deborah’s homeschool story. Each week for the next five weeks, we’ll be sharing some of the motivations that kept her going through those homeschooling years, many of them as a single parent.

We hope you’ll share some of your own reasons for homeschooling as well, to serve as a testimony of God’s wonderful grace and inspiration to other parents.

Sharing God’s Good Works

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One of my favorite verses is Psalm 78:4, especially the last phrase.

WP-Thankful-1-2016

Let’s face it—it’s easy to overlook the blessings in our lives. Sometimes the Lord blesses us in very obvious ways. He gives a new baby, miraculously provides finances for a specific need, or grants healing after an accident or serious illness. But He blesses us in other ways too. He allows our cars to start so we can go get groceries. He gives us hot water for showers. He gives us strength to feed our children even when we’re so sick we can hardly get out of bed.

My children need to know about all of God’s wonderful works. They need to know He gives only good gifts because this truth is foundational to their development of a biblical worldview. They need to know that God is faithful in small things as well as big things.  It is part of how their faith will grow.

So here’s my list of blessings for today:

  • Cuddles with my toddler
  • The willingness of older men and women to share their wisdom about childrearing
  • Libraries
  • Hot drinks
  • Naps
  • Technology such as cell phones and email that allow me to stay in touch with far-away friends and family members
  • A great deal on a new coat for my middle daughter
  • Supper that’s already made and simmering in the slow cooker
  • Sunshine after more than a week of rain
  • Taking a walk with my children and enjoying God’s creation
  • Observing my children learn new skills—my toddler can now climb a ladder
  • Strangers in the grocery store who graciously allowed me to get in front of them in line
  • Watching the relationships among my children grow stronger
  • The ability to read God’s Word for myself

God has given us so many good gifts. Let’s continually praise God to our children.

Linking Up for Thanksgiving

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Every year when Thanksgiving comes, we often ask each other the question, “What are you thankful for?” But I like the point Nancy Leigh DeMoss makes in her book Choosing Gratitude that it’s not about the what but the Who. As a Christian, I have the blessing of knowing the One to whom my thanks is directed. Everything I have and everyone I know is a direct result of His guidance in my life. Here are four ways to make Thanksgiving more meaningful for you and your family.

4 Ways to Make Thanksgiving Meaningful from the BJU Press blog

1. Rejoice in God’s blessings by meditating on the words of these Scripture passages or studying well-known thanksgiving hymns.

2. Reflect on the Thanksgiving holiday with these articles.

Thanksgiving table decorations

3. Reveal to guests what your family is thanking God for by creating these table decorations.

Use these Thanksgiving Printables for placemats, name cards, and Pilgrim hats

4. Review these recipes and choose ones easy enough your kids can prepare for the celebration meal.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Count Your Blessings

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Encourage children to count their blessings and share them with others by making these simple table decorations for Thanksgiving.

Materials Needed

The same materials can be used for both table decorations.

  • Patterns:  (centerpiece) double turkey; (placemat) leaves or single turkey
  • Markers, crayons, color pencils
  • Pencil or pen
  • Scissors
  • Glue (glue stick works best)
  • Construction paper (optional for centerpiece)
  • Clear contact paper (optional for centerpiece)

Thankful Turkeys Centerpiece

  1. Download and print out the double turkey pattern.
  2. Have the kids write out what they are thankful for on the turkey’s four feathers. (They can write the same or different things on both sides.)
  3. Let the kids decorate their turkeys by coloring in the body and feathers. (If you decide not to use contact paper, adding feathers, sequins, and fabric to the turkeys might be fun.)
  4. Make sure the kids follow the dotted lines to cut out the turkeys. (If you want to leave the legs, don’t forget to trace and cut around them!)
  5. Finally, have them fold the printout on the solid black line and set it on the table. (Tips: For added firmness glue the printout to a piece of construction paper before folding it; or cut out the optional bottom piece, fold on the solid black lines, and glue the flaps to both sides of the printout. For added protection trace over the dotted lines on both burkeys. Next, lay a piece of contact paper on the front side of the printout. The contact paper should overlap the edge of the printout by half an inch. Cut out the turkeys and fold the printout on the solid black line.)

Blessings Falling Down Placemat

  1. Download and print out the leaves pattern.
  2. Have the kids write out a blessing on each leaf.
  3. Let the kids color the leaves. (The kids only need to color the side they wrote on.)
  4. Make sure the kids follow the dotted lines as they cut out each leaf.
  5. Encourage the kids to write a title for their placemat on the piece of construction paper. (For example: “I am thankful for . . . ” or “My Blessings”)
  6. Have the kids glue the leaves to either side of  the construction paper. (Preferred paper size is 9×12.)
  7. Cut out a piece of contact paper so that it overlaps the edge of the construction paper by half an inch. Place the construction paper onto the contact paper. Repeat the process so that both sides of the construction paper are covered and the contact paper is sealed; then trim the edges. (Optional: A placemat can also be made using the single turkey pattern.)

I hope you enjoy making these crafts. Making placemats was one of my favorite activities to do while growing up. In fact, I still use placemats, notepad paper, and 3×5 cards to help me reflect on the goodness of God. Teaching children to thank God for all things prepares them to trust Him in the future.

How do you encourage children to express thankfulness?