Majoring in the Minors
I was only seventeen when I started college, so picking a major was not so easy. Because of my interest in political science and other social studies, I decided to major in urban planning and to minor in sociology. My reasons were practical ones. I liked political science and I figured urban planning was the political science degree most likely to result in a job. I worked in my major field for about a year and a half before becoming a full-time homemaker and then a full-time mama. What I majored in during college didn’t matter much then.
Majors and minors–sometimes it’s not easy to figure out which is which. It’s easy to major in the minors. You know what I mean–fretting about multiplication tables and diagramming sentences and spelling tests when a particular child is at a character crossroads.
One day Jesus entered a village. Martha welcomed Him into her home. Martha’s sister Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to His teaching. Martha was distracted. Distracted–I spend much time distracted. Martha asked Jesus: “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.”
But the Lord answered and said to her,
“Martha, Martha, you are worried
and bothered about so many things;
but only one thing is necessary,
for Mary has chosen the good part,
which shall not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38-42
Lord, help me to quit majoring in the minors.
This is SUCH an important thing to remember – in homeschooling and parenting alike. Even more so, I think, now that my daughters are teenagers, and I feel the time closing in when they will be heading out into the world. It’s easy to get caught up in the “all-important” school work, making good grades so we can get good scholarships, ensuring that we’ve dotted every i and crossed every t. But how much more important to take the time to listen when a child feels the unexpected urge to share what’s REALLY on her heart. To offer wise counsel when it’s needed. To comfort and encourage and bandage the scraped feelings like we used to bandage the scraped knees. As Albert Einstein said, “What counts can’t always be counted; what can be counted doesn’t always count.” O God, may I not forget this powerful truth!