What does God Say about the Health Vs. Freedoms Dilemma?

God’s been working on my heart the past few days. I’ve been pretty busy around the property, working on the garden and taking care of my seedlings and helping my daughter get her chickens set up in their new home. I’ve been doing a little spring cleaning and the usual baking and cooking. And all the while telling myself that this work excuses me from other work. Other consideration and study and… what I most want to avoid – saying something. Speaking the truth, even if my motivation is love.

It’s the work of dealing with the conflict and the unrest that simmers around me. My least favorite thing in all of life is conflict. I’m not talking about conflict in my home, but in our relationships that have been reduced to a less-than-ideal sharing of opinions and convictions via various social media platforms.

But what’s the answer? What do we say in the middle of all the arguments about protecting health versus preserving freedoms? What do we say to the economic uncertainty and the possible breakdown of even our food systems? What are the answers to these extremely difficult questions? Shouldn’t we argue and strive over them? Aren’t they important enough? Won't presenting our valid opinions change other people's minds and be the answer to everything going wrong?

This week our pastor had us consider the life and teaching of John Bunyan, who had a sad life, to say the least. Nothing ever went Bunyan’s way, yet he made the most of his days anyway, writing when he can do nothing else. Some of that writing went down in church history, helping thousands upon thousands be strengthened in their faith through the story of Pilgrim’s Progress, even retold again and again to this day. 

So what? Why does it matter what Bunyan went through? Why should that apply to us? We are FREE. We have the right to speak up and protect our freedoms. No one can take that away from us because we are Americans. Right? Either that, or we are secure. Our health and safety is of supreme, even divine importance. Nothing is more important than protecting the safety net of medical science we’ve established in our modern world. What does that have to do with Bunyan’s world of death and disease? It was different. The two worlds can't be compared.

I’d like you to consider for a moment that maybe we don’t live in such a different world than Bunyan did. And I’d like you to consider whether our being happy, being free, having everything we could want or need available in any store or delivered the next day to our doorstep, having medical services ready any time and place to solve any health problem we could have, and plenty of tests to have even if we're feeling fine, having seventeen different activities each week to engage in and distract us from anything we don't want to think about, if all of that is really what’s best for the people who make up the body of Christ here on earth? When did we start believing that this world is heaven? That we deserve what is being held for us in the perfection of eternity – now?

Friends, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this is not our home. And what won’t be an issue in eternity is not our right to claim here. It’s not time yet. Here, Jesus promised us we would face hardship and persecution. He PROMISED it. In this world, we are in a spiritual battle against evil, and sometimes it's going to seem like evil is winning. But Jesus also said why it was okay, over and over again in the gospels. It's okay to suffer because in the end, JESUS WILL WIN. It’s okay to suffer because we’re closer to him when we face these things, things like viruses that don't follow any rules or things like governments that use hardship to strip away freedoms. Standing with Christ and obeying his instructions are how we fight and win spiritual battles. And when we stand with Christ, we change. We move into the head-space of Christ as we become hardier, as we don’t get everything the way we want it to be, as we learn to appreciate the way it is now versus the way it will be in eternity. And God wants us to complete this hardening process, to mature to look just like Jesus. TOGETHER. We can only really accomplish his purpose together. 

Dear fellow believers, it is a blessing to suffer! It is a privilege! It is good for us to face opposition to our faith. To trust him for our daily needs. To give the number of our days and the quality of them to his wise plan. God has a purpose in the joy and in the pain, and he won’t let either

go to waste. Don’t be afraid of this world disappointing you. It’s going to. Be more afraid of not fulfilling the purpose God’s given you to do while you’re here.

More on that! Our pastor also gave us specific verses to study to find our path through this trial. He started in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6. Look it up. Read it in a couple versions. Ask yourself what “arguments” and “lofty opinions” are coming up against the knowledge of God in our society this very day? (Don’t stick to one side, either.) What have you already heard people saying that you know doesn’t stand up to the truth of Scripture? What have you said or believed that might need amending? Which of your “captive thoughts” do you know Christ is going to reject as not of God?

As I consider these verses, I think of a few ways we can fight spiritual battles, right from our homes:

1.       Prayer, Fasting, and other spiritual disciplines

2.       Meeting needs

3.       Teaching truth

4.       Loving God and others

5.       Being willing to suffer for Christ’s sake

If we are busy with these objectives, we won’t have time to be afraid, be incensed, or judge everyone else. We won’t be obsessed with our own interests. We’ll have replaced our natural inclinations for God’s exciting purposes for our days.

Some more verses from my pastor on the subject of how to spend our time amid the crisis:

·        Hebrews 10:24-25: Consider these things. Stir each other up to love and good works. Meet together even if no one else does. Encourage each other. Do these things MORE AND MORE as the times start to look like the “Day” Jesus warned us about.

·        1 Peter 4:10-11: Use your gift. Serve. Speak God’s words. Serve in God’s strength. Give God glory.

·        Ephesians 4:15-16: Speak the truth with love as your motivation. Remember we are all one body, responsible to each other for our growth. We each must DO OUR WORK.

·        Matthew 28:18-20: Go, make disciples, baptize them, teach them to obey Christ. Keep in mind that Jesus will be here with us to the very end of this age. (This should keep us in check from our natural tendencies toward fear or pride.)

So let’s get to work! Let the world argue and worry about where everything is headed. We already know the end of the story! Let’s take this day by day and do the next right thing, letting Christ capture every thought in us before it grows into destructive weeds of fear or pride. Let’s be about his business.

Do Not Fear

Can you remember a few short weeks ago when everything was normal? When we heard rumors about a virus in China but none of it was real or close? When we didn’t think a thing of hugging our friends and hanging out with Grandma at her house, buying the week’s supply of toilet paper or soap? When we came and went as we pleased and did as our little hearts desired every day?

It seems like a different lifetime. It’s amazing to me that life can change so quickly. We thought ourselves safe inside our bubble of society. We’d heard of history’s tales of pandemics, but we didn’t think something like that could touch us. Not in our modern world. We were invincible.

You know, it’s good God corrected our thinking. It wasn’t best for us to have so much trust in our human systems. It’s one thing to say we believe in him and follow him when doing so offers no personal sacrifice. It’s another thing when we are entrusting our lives to him. Suddenly, our faith is real. We realize that without him taking care of us, we are severely at risk.

But no matter how much we believe that God is doing a good thing, a loving thing, to teach us to trust in his ability to look after us, it’s scary. Perhaps more so now than in history, when no one was quite as connected to everyone else in a virtual way. We can see in nearly real-time the tragedy and fear rippling across the entire world. We know the facts - how we are exposed and vulnerable to a virus that seems to have no pattern, no easily discernible course of action. We know the mad scramble to figure it out as advice changes daily and sources tell us opposing views on how we should act or what we should look for. We know we do not have enough resources to help everyone who needs support. We feel the virus there, just out of our sight, lurking. Ready to strike. We feel powerless. 

Don't get me wrong - I’m glad we can connect. I’m glad our pastor can still speak to us every week, multiple times even, and I’m glad our small group can have a Zoom meeting and check up on each other. I’m glad I can text, Marco Polo, and see on Facebook how all my friends are faring. I’m glad that when I scroll through, there are multiple pastors and missionaries and evangelists, near and far, praying and encouraging and speaking God’s Word, perhaps in a newer and more tangible way than ever before. I'm glad we can see first hand how we should pray, how we can help, how our submission to the authorities is helping the cause.

But still, I have one worry. The one thing that keeps me up at night. The one thing that tests my faith more than any other worry I might have at this time. 

I don’t mind being stuck at home. I live for it. My daughter reminded me after this all began that I had been lamenting that big snowstorm we never got where “everything gets canceled.” Little did I know! But as an introvert, I’ve been feeling desperate for time where I don’t have to go out. Where I can sit and stare out my window and think and observe the quiet nuances of nature and weather and the way God made the world. That I have time and margin to think thoughts I can translate into words and stories that give God glory. To have all the time in the world to work to build my new garden out in the field, and help my daughter raise her new chicks. There is plenty to do here at home. And it is work I have so much heart for. In that, I don’t mind this at all. My husband already worked from home, our children have always been homeschooled, so our lives haven’t changed much at all, except for one thing, besides wondering where our next roll of toilet paper is going to come from:

Church.

You know, church is hard. At first, it was kind of relief to be excused from the constant coming and going with all the different activities the six of us can be involved in. At first, I was thankful for the breather. Our church has been through major changes in the past five years. Major. At times, I feel like I’m holding on by a thread as I remember all the things I missed about an established church with a pastor who’d been there for decades and all the traditions I’d grown up with that made me feel safe and secure. At times, I feel like I no longer have a place in the modern church that has formed in place of what I knew and loved. Like the things I was brought up to do in church are no longer relevant or desired.

I know that’s not true. I know God is still God, his Word is still exalted, prayer is still offered. Even in my new modern church. I still have a place, and I know God has and will continue to help me find it. But all this to say – I wasn’t exactly disappointed to have a break.

But now, if I’m going to worry, I worry that Satan will use this pandemic to destroy the church. Flatten it into nothingness. God’s people were made to be together, to sharpen each other. No matter how much time online you spend, it’s not the same as real, in-person relationship. And what if we come out of our dens after months of being apart and we no longer no how to be one body?

I can see the gentle smile of Jesus. His shaking head. His reassuring voice, reminding me I was never in charge of his people. The responsibility for their care does not rest on me, the outcome is not mine alone to bear. I don’t know why I tend to think it is. Maybe growing up a pastor’s daughter in a small rural church did something to my psyche to make me think I was accountable to make it all work. Maybe it’s my extroverted emotion, feeling responsible for everyone’s emotional well-being. Whatever caused this thinking, it’s not right.

God is not worried about his church. God knows he can care for it. God knows he already redeemed it, and set the Holy Spirit loose among his children, and that nothing this world can ever throw at it, no pandemic or lockdown or quarantine or financial crisis can ever hope to break it up. Satan will not win in his feeble attempt to knock out the structure of the Body of Christ. It’s just one of his last desperate attempts before God silences him forever. When we’re standing with the Lion of Judah at our back, nothing in front of us has hope of defeating us.

So take heart, dear brother or sister in Christ, for we have not seen the end of God’s glory. In fact, we’re about to see it in ways we never have before, in powerful messages of his love sent at just the right time. He is trustworthy, he is kind. He will not leave us or forsake us. He can be trusted.

These verses were meant for Israel during their time of exile, but the same God who spoke them through his prophet to his people, speaks the same message today to those who have been grafted in to his family. They are meant for you, Christian. Revel in the love of God through Christ.

“Do not fear, Zion;
                do not let your hands hang limp.
                The Lord your God is with you,
                The Mighty Warrior who saves.
                He will take great delight in you:
                In his love he will no longer rebuke you,
                but will rejoice over you with singing.”

– Zephaniah 3:20

Ten Quick and Easy Homeschooling Tips

So you’ve recently been compelled to homeschool by Corona virus? Wondering how to go about it? How to keep your sanity? Don’t want a thousand detailed instructions, but a quick and easy big picture take? You’ve come to the right place! (You can even skip to the list if you want!)

I didn’t intend to homeschool, either. I went to private schools from the age of four to college, and I figured my kids could do the same. But when I actually had a bright-eyed little girl ready for school, the options weren’t there. I found homeschooling, and with much trepidation, I dipped my toes in the water with my four-year-old.

I made a ton of mistakes at first, and really, homeschooling is something that is only starting to feel more natural (most days) now that I’ve been a homeschooling mom for over twelve years. But I was able to start slowly, so I feel for you that have been thrown into this so unexpectedly.

What I want you to know today is that you CAN do this. I’m not saying it won’t be hard, even downright terrible some days, especially in the adjustment, but you CAN do this. And you will see it as a good thing, eventually, when you are able to gain some perspective.

What I won’t do is sit here and tell you I’m the best homeschooling mom ever, who does all the things and the co-ops and spends hours a day actively teaching and planning and doing cool projects and outings. That vision of homeschooling families you may have – some are truly that good at it – that’s not me.

I like for things to “coast.” I like to spend the initial time setting things up like a wind-up toy, and then letting them go and move around of their own accord. So, yes, you need a plan and a schedule, but the biggest things you need in your new classroom are HABITS and FLEXIBILITY.

Whether you’re starting out on your own, or you’re following your child’s teacher’s guidelines and plans, here are a few tips to success. I hope you’ll find them helpful!

1.  Start with a positive attitude. Whatever you have to do at the beginning of the day to get your head in a good place, do it. Pray, read, drink coffee, sit and stare out the window, but come at it from a place of calm motivation. Your kids probably won’t. You have to lead in this, and persist in it when they ruin all your plans and ignore your sacrifices and efforts.
2.  Don’t be a slave to the schedule. Have a rough outline of what the day will look like, but be open to allowing your imaginations and interests to throw you off course. If something catches your attention, go with it. Research, discuss, play. We’ve had some of our most memorable learning times this way. The work will get done. Use the moments you have for whatever will spark learning.
3.  Let them do their workbooks on their own. And be open to them doing it their own way. If they decide the only way they’ll get through that math is hanging upside down on the couch with classical music blasting on their headphones while eating raisins, let them. If they want to go out in the sunshine and take frequent breaks to run around the field or visit the neighborhood goats, let it be. The work will be there (unless it blows away in the wind!) when they get back.
4. Don’t allow non-educational electronics until after work is done. This is a good motivator for them to finish in a timely manner. Don’t be afraid to completely take away non-educational electronics for tantrums, either. I don’t include Bible videos or educational websites in the ban, so I still have some leverage during their groundings. Find out what your child’s motivation is and use it.
5. Make it fun, and enjoy learning along with them. I’ve enjoyed school much more as I’ve gone through it again (four times!) with my kids. All the things I missed as a kid! Enjoy the chance to marvel at the world and all of its intricacies. This will help your kids have better attitudes, too, as you mirror a childlike wonder at creation and everything there is to learn within it.
6. Don’t fret. I was so worried at the beginning that I would miss something, that I would do something wrong, that I would mess up their entire lives through my big-picture, non-detailed personality. Surely I would forget things they needed to know. And you know what? I have. So does everybody. I just think about all the stuff I didn’t get the first time around. Education is not as linear as we think it is. It can’t be boiled down to a list of subjects. If you miss something this year, catch it next year. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
7. Combine subjects. This is advice if you decide to go it on your own and pick your own curriculum. It’s not for everyone, but if this sounds more appealing to you, a great time and sanity saver is combining the subjects they need into one. For instance, my two youngers have handwriting that doubles as geography. They write about the states. And it’s easy to combine writing with any other subject – just have them write about whatever they’re learning. We combine art and reading with history (Check out Draw and Write through History and Story of the World.)
8. Make use of the white board. If you have a child who will not sit and do that math on their paper, have them do it on the white board. If you want them to memorize things, write it on the white board. If you are trying to teach a difficult concept, a white board is a handy tool.
9. Make a weekly list of their assignments. This only works for students who can read well, but it’s important for them to have accountability to do everything they are supposed to do for the day. I’ve tried just having them “do the next lesson.” It doesn’t work out well. You both need to know the expectations for every single day. I like this template for younger kids and this one for my high schoolers.
10. Look for ideas online. I’ve got several homeschooling Pinterest boards I use to collect ideas for art projects, online classes, places we’d like to visit, etc. The vastness of resources available, many for free, is staggering. It can be overwhelming, but once you have a vision in your head, keep your ideas in one place and implement them a few at a time.

Don’t sweat the bad days. They’ll come. Some days all you can do is get through it. Other days are easy. That’s just life as you educate your own children. Use your time together to grow closer as a family. Have important discussions, ask those questions you’ve been putting off. See this as a blessing, and use up every last second of it for good. I hope you’ll look back on this time as an unexpected treasure.

What about you? How are you feeling about the schools being closed and kids being home? Have any ideas to add to this list? Feel free to comment and let us know!