Is there an area in which you are feeling "weary of doing good?" Over the years this verse has become my mothering and homeschooling mantra! Eugene Peterson writes about a long obedience in the same direction [affiliate link], and though I haven't read his book, that phrase has been floating around in my brain ever since I first heard it some years back. It perfectly describes many aspects of the Christian life, but I especially apply it to motherhood and homeschooling.
It's easy to become weary in doing good...for me as a homeschool mom, I get weary of training and correcting children, herding them in the right direction (physically and spiritually!), wondering if anything I am saying is even "sticking." But daily faithfulness (not perfection) adds up: we truly WILL reap a harvest. Now that I'm blessed to have roughly 2 decades of mothering and homeschooling under my belt, I'm delighted to report the harvest DOES COME! I love my teenagers and young adult children, and I love the sweet relationship I have with each of them individually. Reflecting on how far we've come, I am more patient for the next round of harvest, as I persevere in homeschooling our younger children.
How do you need encouragement to persevere today?
By the way...if you'd like to join some like-minded homeschooling mamas, hop into my new group where we're building a community of Christian moms committed to homeschooling their children for the long haul!
This support group is set up to help you...
✔️ avoid burnout
✔️ manage the overwhelm
✔️ sustain your homeschooling long-term
✔️ persevere in spiritually training your children
and...perhaps most important...
✔️ know and apply God’s truth in the daily activities of educating your children.
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"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:5
This verse means more and more to me as time goes on! I learned it in high school, but apparently I am NOT finished learning how to apply it. All too often I find myself allowing my thoughts to run wildly out of control, assuming everything that floats through my head is absolute truth.
BUT IT'S NOT! Just because you think something...doesn't mean it's true!
Here are some thoughts I've had to battle:
You're never going to figure this out.
You've failed.
You're not doing enough.
You're not making any difference.
And while I haven't provided context for the above thoughts, you can probably imagine they surface in a variety of arenas: physical exercise, self-control with eating habits, homeschooling, ministry...the list goes on and on.
Anyone else have daily battles inside your own minds?!
No matter what our personal goals are in this season of life, I've learned one of the MOST important steps is to get our minds in the right place. As a Christian, for me that means digging into God's Word and speaking truth over myself. How can I pour out truth into my children's hearts and minds if I'm allowing my own untrue thoughts to run me into the ground?!
What are some ways you take your thoughts captive?
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Repentance is a turning away from the direction we are headed and turning toward God. As Ted and I dug into the book of Joel, our discussions sometimes centered around how little our culture knows, let alone talks about, the concept of repentance. Rationalization, yes. Accusations of someone else's wrongdoing, absolutely. (Let's not make this political, but we could all go there.) But honest, sincere, humble repentance? Never.
Read more...
I'm so excited to be part of this year's speaker line-up for the Wives of Integrity Conference! There are going to be so many amazing workshops presented over a three-day period in mid-May. I'll put more info here when registration opens, but here are the quick deets:
May 1: FREE registration begins!
May 12 - 14: FREE online conference. (You can choose to upgrade to the all-access pass so you can view the sessions anytime plus receive bonus materials.)
Topics include:
- Finances
- Parenting
- Intimacy
- Communication
- Faith
- & so much more!
A couple of other speakers and I participated in a "sneak peek" panel to preview our workshops. Mine is titled "From Heartache to Hope" and discusses moving through trauma and finding hope no matter what our circumstances. If you'd like to listen in on that panel, check it out! My portion is about halfway through the video.
Have you attended a marriage conference before? In person or virtually? I'd love to hear your experience!
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As I look out my office window where a few inches of snow have accumulated on the railing of the balcony, with snow swirling in the wind, I am very grateful to be sitting in my cozy office with my space heater humming nearby. It's been awhile since I took time to blog. Beverly Jacobson seems to have taken a back seat to Verity's Village, the nonprofit I launched last year with the generous help of Save the Storks. I absolutely LOVED every bit of that process, from the homework assignments I completed for the Pro-Life Innovators Summit (defining the Verity's Village mission and vision statements, writing out our core values and purpose, preparing my presentation, etc.) to the actual ministry of working with brave mamas who chose to carry their precious babies to term despite a life-limiting diagnosis.
The end of 2021 brought much reflection, some of which involved looking back over a roller coaster of a ride with the start-up of a nonprofit organization I believe God is establishing to last far beyond our own lifetime. (You can read the Verity's Village year-end report here.) I learned a lot through the process of setting up a nonprofit. Actually, I feel I'm in constant learning mode, and there is so much more I desire to see happen in this ministry!
But I also learned much about myself in the process, some exciting and surprising things, in fact. For example, when I listened to the CEO of Save the Storks tell me that I have a gift--that she felt I really need to be on the speaking circuit--I felt something rise up within me that has been there all along, a hidden desire I never took time to put into words. (Perhaps it's that I never felt worthy or "good enough" to put such a desire in writing or even to acknowledge it as a possible goal.)
I want to speak. On a stage. To people--lots of people! And I want to get paid for doing it.
There! I said it!
I type this with a smile on my face, because I finally acknowledged this dormant desire about two months ago. That was when I finally clicked on an ad I had been seeing for a training program to get booked and paid to speak. Long story short, I am SO excited to be pursuing this dream knowing that 2022 is the year I will step onto a stage, share what God has laid on my heart, prayerfully inspire and encourage others, and bring home a paycheck for doing so.
I'm in a new phase of life, and I'm still learning who I am and what God's purpose is for me in this season. I can't wait to see how things unfold for me and my family in 2022!
What are you learning about yourself as the calendar flips over?
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