Blog

Font size: + –

Take your Homeschooling from Ordinary to Extraordinary

Sage Advice Odds and Ends

Friday, 06 September 2024

205 Hits

0 Comments

Sometimes homeschooling can feel overwhelming, like an impossible mountain. When you focus on the whole year, or the entirety of high school, feelings of inadequacy, fear, and overwhelm are quick to swoop in. Today, give yourself a little grace and try focusing on smaller, simpler tasks to achieve your goals. As Christians, we have the opportunity to have an ordinary homeschool . . . with an extraordinary God.

Take your Homeschooling from Ordinary to Extraordinary

Jesus Changes Water to Wine

John 2:1-11

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine." "Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come." But his mother told the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so, they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."

If you jump ahead and just look at the end result of homeschooling, "High School Graduation" you may become overwhelmed. But when Jesus changed water into wine, he didn't tell the servants to "Change Water into Wine." Instead, he gave them three easy steps. Each step was possible, and manageable. Read his instruction.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Changing Water to Wine:
Step 1: Fill jars with water.
Step 2. Draw some out.
Step 3: Take it to the master.

Jesus does not even MENTION the end result in this passage. He just gives the steps. In fact, it was Jesus who was in charge of the scary final consequences. But the servants (that's us!) only had to handle the small, manageable steps.

If the servants had focused on changing water into wine, they would have become overwhelmed. They might have been tempted to question and doubt, "How can we possibly change this water into wine?" Instead, they were simply asked to fill the jars. God was in control of the quality of the wine. They just had to do one simple thing at a time.

Jesus's miracle of turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana is a metaphor that can be interpreted in many ways:

Jesus used humble water pots to accomplish His first miracle

Jesus didn't need ivory or gold jugs to do his work. He used simple earthen vessels to hold the water. He was able to do an extraordinary work with simple earth jugs and he can do the same in your homeschool.

Jesus as a provider

The miracle can communicate that Jesus will ultimately be the provider of our needs and give us a higher quality of wine than we could ask for. When we run empty, we can trust him to refill us to overflowing.

Situations that don't turn out as expected

The absence of wine at the wedding can be a metaphor for situations where things don't turn out as expected. Running out of wine was disastrous for this wedding party, but Jesus used it as an opportunity to show his glory and love for us. Even when we don't see the results we might expect, he is producing fruit in us, and in our children that we can't always see.

Jesus brought the joy to the event, and he brought the highest quality of wine. He can bring joy and quality to your homeschool as well when you focus on one step at a time.

This week don't focus on the large tasks. Focus on one subject at a time, one year at a time. Do your best, make sure school is challenging but not overwhelming, and give yourself grace each day. That can renew your joy and provide quality in your homeschool. One day you will have a well-educated, graduated student. For now, take it one step at a time.