Overwhelmed On My Own Strength

Overwhelmed? Yes, that seems to define me lately. I'm trying to figure out if this is a good thing or not. I guess it's all based on perspective and if anything is being neglected. Or, as I'm thinking about this, doing it all on my own strength. How can one person do so much without feeling guilty about something that isn't being accomplished on the long list of things-to-do? I know that I need to do this and that and so much more. How can it all be done, I'm always asking myself? Well, that's when things aren't done for me. I get overwhelmed, so nothing seems to fully get accomplished. It's either all or nothing for me and this is a terrible fault of mine. I'm in constant prayer about this and need help with obedience in the most important priorities. It's also all the little things that adds up and I just don't know where to begin! I look way ahead of myself and get easily overwhelmed just at the thought of it all. I know that I need to just take it day-by-day and this is not natural for me as I am very much a future thinker. As I'm torn with all the responsibilites I have, I want to define what it means to be overwhelmed and ask the Lord to show me how to handle it all.

The 1828 Noah Webster Dictionary defines the word overwhelm as this:

1. To overspread or crush beneath something violent and weighty, that covers or encompasses the

whole; as, to overwhelm with waves.

2. To immerse and bear down; in a figurative sense; as, to be overwhelmed with cares, afflictions or

business.

3. To overlook gloomily.

From that, the term immerse also means "to involve" or "to engage deeply". The term overlook also means "to oversee; implying care and watchfulness", "to pass by indulgently; to excuse" or even "to neglect".

There's a great balance that needs to be understood from being overwhelmed. How to handle it is another thing; on our own strength or with God's help. I don't want to miss out on anything that God has planned for me if I continue to struggle and focus on this state of being overwhelmed in a negative (gloomy) manner. So, I desperately seek God's help in this area of my life right now and pray that His mercy will help me through this! I pray that the important things will not be neglected over all the little things that don't matter when it comes to the hearts of my children and their relationship with the Lord. We need to seek the Lord's help in all things, especially when we're feeling overwhelmed with the pressures of this life and to not do it all in our own strength. Psalm 61 is a beautiful passage for this!

^"1Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.

 ²From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

 ³For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.

 ⁴I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.

 ⁵For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name.

 ⁶Thou wilt prolong the king's life: and his years as many generations.

 ⁷He shall abide before God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him.

 ⁸So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows."

  

What do Fractions have to do with Jesus?

God's perfect timing continues to amaze me! I had an unplanned Math lesson with my 7 year old daughter on Good Friday. The next lesson in our RightStart (TM) Mathematics curriculum was on fractions. So, I looked up the word "fraction" for her in the 1828 Noah Webster Dictionary. This is where it all begins!

FRAC'TION, n. [L. fractio, frango, fractus, to break. See Break.]

1. The act of breaking or state of being broken, especially by violence.

2. In arithmetic and algebra, a broken part of an integral or integer;

any division of a whole number or unit, as 2/5, two fifths, 1/4, one fourth,

which are called vulgar fractions.

 

Wow! That FIRST definition popped out at me and I was so excited when I read it to her. I explained to her that this didn't have to do with just numbers or plain-old arithmetic at all. I asked if this reminded her of what we just talked about in our Bible reading that morning. That Jesus' body was broken for our sins. That He suffered greatly for us in such a violent manner. Isn't it amazing to find out how fractions go back to Jesus?! Imagine how much more we can learn about Jesus and God's character by using such an approach as this. Through this, you can learn how there is a much bigger purpose behind Math than just numbers. And, this isn't just with Math, it's for each subject that we learn. There IS a reason for everything in all of life!

Amazingly, our Math lesson that day led us to the Bible with this verse: "And when he had given thanks, he brake [it], and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me." ~1 Cor. 11:24

So, we were able to finish our math lesson that day with excitement. We had our minds fixed on Jesus and His great love for us as we worked on learning the second part of the definition. I will be honest and say that I hated fractions but I absolutely can't say that now. I LOVE FRACTIONS!

Prevention

Are you living a life of prevention? Do you eat healthy to prevent illness? Are you in God's Word to prevent wrong behavior and making the wrong decisions? Do you keep your children home to prevent them from gaining a secular education? There is a lot that we do to prevent us from things that we want to avoid or work on for our own good...whether it be for our faith, our safety, our health or our relationships. This is a lot to ponder and we can seek the Lord to help give us wisdom on what we can work on in terms of prevention for His glory.

I love the defnition of "prevent" in the 1828 Webster's Dictionary. It means "to go before; to precede, as something unexpected or unsought; to anticipate; to preoccupy; to pre-engage; to attempt first; to hinder; to obstruct". A lot to think about as all of these convey an action from us!

What are the things in your life and in your childrens life that you want to prevent? Ask the Lord what changes He wants you to make. Please join with me in meditating on this! I pray that "mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word" (Psalm 119:148).

Health...a Biblical Perspective

Health...what does that mean exactly? This is what the 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language says about it:

HEALTH, n. helth. [from heal.] That state of an animal or living body, in which the parts are sound, well organized and disposed, and in which they all perform freely their natural functions. In this state the animal feels no pain. This word is applied also to plants.

          1. Sound state of the mind; natural vigor of faculties.
          2. Sound state of the mind, in a moral sense; purity; goodness.
                  There is no health in us.
          3. Salvation or divine favor, or grace which cheers God's people. Ps.43,
          4. Wish of health and happiness; used in drinking.
                  Come, love and health to all; an elliptical phrase, for, I wish health to you.

I completed a word study on this term in 2009 because natural health has been a passion of mine. Word studies are a great way to get a deeper meaning out of something and to be able to search God's Word. Researching the Scriptures helps you find the Biblical purpose and origin of any term or subject that you are studying. So, as I defined those key words that are underlined above, I then researched the Scriptures. These are just a few things that God says about health in His Word:

• Gen. 2:7 - "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."
• Matt. 10:28 - "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
• 1 Cr. 6:19 - "What know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"

After this research, you are able to reason through what has been shown to you and relate it to your life. The whole process of this is called 4-R'ing (research, reason, relate and record). In conclusion, this is what I came up with in regards to "health":

"Health begins with God forming us and breathing life into us. There is an internal and external aspect to our health that affects each other. God gave us our body and formed it perfectly to function as it needs to live. God also gave us a soul to complete our living body. Our bodies can be healthy or it can be sick, determining how we take care of it. We have a choice. It is seen how God cares about us by looking at how He formed us perfectly and how everything works together as it should. It's important that we take care of what He has given us. We must take care of our physical bodies as well as our soul."

I encourage you to do a word study of your own on any topic that interests you. Through that, God will show you so much as you "commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established." (Proverbs 16:3)

Philosophy of Education...Simple, But Not Easy

What is your philosophy of education? Have you even thought about that? You may be asking, what do you mean by having a philosophy of education? To understand what I mean, you have to define "philosophy" and "education" from the 1828 Noah Webster Dictionary.

• Philosophy = The love of wisdom; an explanation of the reason of things.

• Education = The bringing up, as of a child, instruction; formation of manners. Education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations.

If you ponder those definitions and allow the Lord to guide you through His Word with them, you can come up with your own Philosophy of Education. By doing this, it will give you wisdom that governs all of your choices and decisions that you make for instruction and discipline. It will give you a vision to aim for as you strive to give a Christian education. As you are submitted to God's Word, make it the heart of education so that it produces a Biblical Christian Worldview in yourself and in your children. Your philosophy of education should be rooted in the authority of God's Word. We must cultivate the hearts and minds of our children by instilling Truth in their hearts.

The Lord has simply given us His Word, but this is not easy! We, as parents, have to begin by continually renewing our minds and being transformed into His likeness. Parenting and teaching are heart-to-heart. It takes diligence, perseverance and seeking the Lord to do so. As I write this, I am convicted because I know what I ought to do, yet don't. Just like what Paul says in Romans 7:19, "For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice". I am challenged to not follow my own flesh, but to follow the will of God and walk in obedience. Oh, I need His help daily to do so!

It is my prayer that, through the Lord's help, our children will be raised with a desire to be more like Jesus. That they will grow and become strong in spirit, just as Jesus did. That they will be filled with wisdom, just as Jesus was. That the grace of God will be upon them, just as Jesus had. ~Luke 2:40

My Journey So Far

My husband and I made the decision to homeschool when our older daughter was a toddler. We knew that we did not want to put our children into public school and could not afford to put them in private school. We didn't even feel led to do that anyways, so that was out. Homeschooling was really the only option we considered. Our desire for our children was not to be academically successful. Sure, academics is important, but that has not been our main concern. Our desire for our children was that they would grow up to know and love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. Their eternal well-being is most important.

Three years ago, I attended a learning session on a homeschool approach that was posted on our local homeschool loop and I am so thankful that I did. It was exactly what I desired for my children and what I was praying for. It's called the Principle Approach. It excited me when I heard that the Bible is the focus for ALL subjects. It's not separate from the subjects and just an addition, but it is a part of each subject. God's nature is revealed through everything, even Math...I never knew! The purpose of this approach is to train our children up to learn how to reason everything from the Bible. That they would grow up having a Biblical Worldview. I was intimidated and felt so inadequate learning about this approach, but trusted that God brought me to it and I accepted the fact that I have a lot of learning ahead of me. My mind has be renewed because I sure wasn't brought up learning how to reason through the Bible. It was not part of my education and I have so much of that public school mindset in me still. So, I see the Principle Approach as something not only for my children, but for myself. It's not only just for "education", but for all of life! This is not only a school curriculum, but a tool that helps us to learn how to reason biblically and have a closer walk with Christ. It's definitely a journey that I'm looking forward to. Yes, I still struggle with feeling overwhelmed and inadequate. Yet, "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that He considered ME faithful, appointing ME to His service." ~1 Timothy 1:12.