“Teaching Them Many Things”
Last Friday Ray and I made a quick day trip out of town to visit our daughter and her family. Any excuse will do, but our excuse this time was to meet the newest baby lamb in their little flock.
When we walked out to the pasture, the mama sheep seemed to know what was up. She took off down the hill, so our granddaughter wouldn’t snatch up her little one. They’re sheep. Naturally when the mama started down the hill, the rest of the sheep went along with the crowd.
The mama sheep baa-baa-ed to us constantly . . .
. . . while we held her baby.
We let her bleat. We don’t get the opportunity to hold a baby lamb less than a week old every day. The baby didn’t seem to mind, . . .
. . . but I did feel sorry for the mama. I was happy when the inseparable pair got back together.
The Bible talks about sheep probably more than any other animal. Even though it is humiliating to think about ourselves as crowd-following sheep, the comparison is perfect.
We are all desperate for a shepherd — whether we are willing to acknowledge it or not. Our children are desperate for a shepherd, too. Thank you for being their shepherd.
When Jesus saw a huge flock of people who were like sheep without a shepherd, His compassion caused this response: He began teaching them many things.
Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat,
and he had compassion on them
because they were like sheep without a shepherd.
So he began teaching them many things.
Mark 6:34
Thank you for teaching your children many things. Thank you for choosing to homeschool so you have more time to do that. All our children need a shepherd who will teach them many things — and they need parents who will lead them to the Good Shepherd. The last thing we want for our children to be is sheep without a shepherd.
Folks in the hill country of Appalachia used to stop and “study on it” when they had something important to think about. Read these verses and study on how it applies to you and your children and their education.
“I am the good shepherd;
the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd,
who is not the owner of the sheep,
sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees,
and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.
He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.
I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me,
even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father;
and I lay down My life for the sheep.”
John 10:11-18
Charlene,
Thank you for sharing Truth and wisdom. I am thankful to have met you in person at the Cincinnati GHC. During the convention, I felt as though the enemy was trying to derail, through comparison, where I felt the Lord leading me with my family’s homeschool. I happened to be at your booth in the midst of that internal struggle. I asked you if I should be doing more with my primary age kids in terms of content, specifically geography. You told me to just enjoy my kids and learning together. You emphasised the importance of guiding them in the Lord. It was exactly what I needed to hear and I was able to let the comparisons go and feel more free. I know the Lord had his hand in that brief conversation. It was as if He was whispering “just keep trusting me and my way for you.” Thank you for being the vessel that day!!
Thank you so much, Amanda, for this kind affirmation and encouragement.