There are a few lessons in life that God has to teach us over and over again. For me, the importance of being flexible is one of those. As the youngest daughter of a whimsical mother who was widowed before I entered school, I grew up being pretty rigid, independent, and opinionated. I always felt that if I didn’t have things in order, no one else would and it was my job to hold the family together. This obviously was not conducive to giving the Lord the reins in my life.
When I got married, I had very specific ideas about how children should be raised to be guaranteed that they would turn out to be godly awesome adults. Soon after my second child was born, God started a work in my life that would crumble my rigid opinions and take me on a life changing adventure. My precious little son, Nicky, who was the easiest baby I’ve ever met (I figured it was because my husband and I were great parents and doing everything “right!”), changed my life in a deep way. By about a year and a half, it became obvious that something was wrong with him. He was not responding to any of my teaching. And thus began our journey into the world of autism. He is now a sweet 18 year old boy who is very affectionate and usually mild mannered but is completely non-verbal and very limited in his functioning. The lessons of autism have taught me the importance of being flexible and releasing control to my heavenly Father. I have learned to let go of having my house in perfect order as Nick has a very curious concept of how things should be arranged (and rearranged!) I have learned to let go of treasuring any possessions as Nicky frequently breaks things. I have learned to let go of my perfectly planned schedule as Nick frequently will have a melt down and plans have to change immediately. My personal preference for peace and quiet in my home has had to give way to his need to continually tap blocks against the wall. I have learned to let go of wanting people to look at us as a “perfect family” as we constantly get stares out in public from his odd behaviors. It has been very humbling and has taught me about what is truly important - leaning completely on the Lord and loving others unconditionally and treat them as more important than myself. I share this with you to encourage you in your precious homes and homeschools. Be flexible! Have a plan for your day, but don’t be so rigid that you can’t respond to that question your child asks which takes you totally off track for a few hours as you research the answer. Make sure there is time to cuddle that child who becomes overwhelmed at the task of learning to read and just needs to cry for a bit. If your child really doesn’t want to follow in dad’s footsteps as a baseball player and wants to take piano instead, be flexible! If your child learns his multiplication tables in the 3rd grade instead of the 2nd grade, it’s ok! There is rarely only “one right way” to do something. Be open to new suggestions from your family members. Do not insist on your own way and your homes will be full of harmony and love. With a spirit of harmony and acceptance, your children will feel safe and will flourish as you guide them on their path to explore God’s beautiful world. Relax, breathe, be sensitive, and let God nudge you in a new direction! Susan “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.” I Cor. 13:4-5 9/1/2012
Heartily as Unto the Lord....I am so honored to have been selected to take over the reins at Coastal Academy and follow in watering the seeds that Grace DiPasquale planted in her tenure as our leader. I am so excited for the families that God has brought to Coastal and I know that none of you are here by accident! It was divinely ordained. It is my fervent prayer that all we do this year will be done to the glory of God.
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31 I challenge you to approach your homeschooling this year with a desire for excellence. Not a desire for excellence as the world sees it. Not to read more books than the other kids in the neighborhood or be able to skip a grade so you can brag to your sister-in-law who criticizes you all the time for being crazy to homeschool your kids. But I’m speaking of a desire to seek after the excellence that God desires for each of us. We are to do all things heartily as unto the Lord. (Col 3:23) Let’s not settle for “good enough.” Let’s push our kids to learn just one more spelling word, to rewrite that paragraph one more time to make it clearer, to be able to say those multiplication tables a few seconds faster each day, to take a few more minutes practicing for that piano lesson after they say they want to quit. Let’s shoot for excellence so that our kids will be prepared for anything that God brings into their lives . Let’s not limit our children by just being satisfied with what is easy to do, but let’s teach them to push themselves just a bit harder. Let‘s help them to be prepared for the challenges that life will bring and be able to rise to meet them. Our goal as Christian parents is to raise up our children to love the Lord and to serve Him all the days of their lives. We want them to be able to share the gospel message with everyone that comes into their lives. It is our job to help prepare them for that mission. They need to learn how to write well to explain the joy of the Lord to people. They need to be able to speak well and clearly explain God’s goodness. They need to learn how to diligently solve problems to show the world that God is a God of order and logic. And they need to use the talents that God has given them fully as a testimony to God’s amazing creation. God has given us all so much! Let’s not waste it by being satisfied with the mediocre! Let’s teach our children to honor God by preparing themselves for wherever God wants to use them. Let’s not be like the third servant in the Parable of the Talents who buried his talents and was rebuked by the Lord as being evil and lazy. Let’s use our talents fully for the glory of God!! “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Philippians 4:8 In Him, Susan Truman |
AuthorThis is a collection of the reflections our principal, Susan Truman submits to our monthly newsletters. She is married to her college sweetheart and is a mother of three. She graduated two of her children from Coastal with her third child attending a special needs school. Archives
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10/1/2012