Help
With Your Rule
Having Realistic Expectations
Dear Holly,
I have recently finished reading your book and it has been answer to my prayers! I have 5 children (10, 8, 6, 3, and 1) and am getting ready to embark on our first year of homeschooling. I have started to get my rule down on paper, but am feeling a little pressure to get it very established by next month when we plan to start our school year. Is this realistic, or should I offer it up and lower my expections?
Labels: About a Rule of Life
posted by Holly at 10:20 AM
2 Comments:
You know, that first desperate Sunday night when I 'analyzed' my life, I sat and thought for a couple of hours. By the next day, I had established when breakfast and lunch and supper was and their prep and clean-up times. I decided when I would do my laundry. And I decided when I would do basic prayers.
The next day, when those time frames came, I just stopped everything else and did what I had decided was reasonable. And it worked on the very first day - things got done, the house was cleaner, and I was shocked!
It was after that, that I then began to work through my 'rule' questions in the 5 Ps, and over the course of a couple of months, began itemizing chore charts, purging the house of junk, worked out a prayer schedule... and as I'd go, I'd realize I had left some things out... But as for the basic schedule and the basic duties - all these can be worked out quite quickly. For me, the issue was learning to 'do it' consistently.
So, in my opinion, no, it is not unreasonable to expect that within a month you can have cleaned out your home and arranged it according to functionality; that you can get your basic prayer, chore, meals, cleaning times arranged, and begin this.
Little details will pop up for months, but this isn't anything to worry about. And you will find some things don't work - ie: you feel rushed, or there isn't enough time - and so you need to continue with an 'assessment mode' for a while - what's working and what's not and why? And give yourself plenty of time for each session's fulfilment.
I think you can do it - but I'd pray about having the Lord release your 'pressure' - you need to do it for HIM as your main motive (if you can), NOT do it 'for homeschooling'. God is your Master here, not your homeschooling schedule - do you see the difference? It is our intent which can cause pressure- if you do it for God, day by day and moment by moment, homeschooling will takes its rightful place in your life and not be the slavemaster that pressures you to perform...
I just read the post about the MROL being realistic with 5 kids and the first year of homeschooling. It is with a resounding "yes!" that I reply with my comment. I read the MROL when I was pregnant with my fifth child, and after she was born, I was kind of on maintenance mode with my Rule. (I am a born listmaker, so I had a bare bones sort of schedule, but the book really put it into perspective for me). About a month ago, we plunged into our first year of homeschooling (our kids are 7, 5, 4, 2 and 6 mos) and some days, having set tasks and regular prayer times are the only things that bring sanity to our day! It is also, for me, the only way to be assured that not only the necessities get done, but those special extras that make a house run smoothly. I also realy liked what Holly said in another post about God being your master, not your schedule. Remember that your Rule is for God and your family, not so that every corner of every room will be spotless! Again, I echo Holly's statement that you will be constantly tweaking your rule - there have been no perfect days, nor is my Rule perfect, I probably make changes to it daily. But it does remind me to anchor my day around Christ, and all else will follow accordingly. God bless you in your efforts!
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