It’s November. Traditionally a month of homeschool burnout. Because it looks sad outside. Because it’s dark. Because we are being bombarded with images of Christmas cheer and screaming deals and so many things we want but can’t afford. Because we feel like we have to create an awesome Advent and Christmas and that is just around the corner and we’re losing focus on homeschooling because our heads and hearts are being pulled in 1,000 different directions and we must absolutely be failing our kids because they’re surly and unfocused and, quite frankly, so are we.
Yuck.
If you want to quit right now, just know you’re not alone.
It’s time to take a deep breath, refocus, recenter, and remember why you’re doing this in the first place.
There’s only one reason to homeschool. There are infinite benefits of homeschooling, but there is only one reason to do it. The only reason to homeschool is because God is asking you to homeschool. And if God is asking you to homeschool, He will equip you to homeschool according to His will.
St. Francis de Sales, a Saint of unbounding good sense and practicality frequently discusses the rough patches that come in faithfully living our vocations. He has this to say about the temptation to quit (emphasis mine):
Stay strong, sisters. We are not alone in this walk. We have each other. We have the Saints. And as one of my favorite priests likes to say, we have three divine persons and the mother of one of them on our side.
“… having implored the light of the Holy Spirit, applied our consideration to the seeking of his good-pleasure, taken the counsel of our director, and if appropriate, of two or three other spiritual persons, we must resolve and determine in the name of God, and not afterwards revoke or doubt our choice, but devoutly, peacefully, and firmly pursue and keep to it. And although the difficulties, temptations and the various circumstances which occur in the course of executing our design, might cause us some doubt as to whether we had made a good choice, we must remain firm, and not regard such things, but consider that if we had made another choice we might have been a hundred times worse; to say nothing of our not knowing whether it be God’s will that we should be exercised in consolation or desolation, in peace or war. Once the resolution has been holily taken, we must never doubt of the holiness of carrying it out; for unless we fail it cannot fail. To act in another manner is a mark of great self-love, or of childishness, weakness and silliness of spirit.”
There’s more of St. Francis’s teaching on discerning God’s Will here. And I highly recommend this little book for a small daily dose of St. Francis’s spiritual direction. (That’s not an affiliate link.)
