Bread Crumbs & Fish Heads: It is Enough!

Am I doing enough? 
Are the kids doing enough work? 
Am I messing up my kids by homeschooling? 
You are not alone!  Many moms have asked these questions at some point along their homeschooling journey.  YES!  You are enough!  What you are doing is enough!  And NO, you are not messing up your children.  If anything, you are giving them an advantage by educating them at home.  No matter what you give to Jesus, it is enough.  In this week's episode, Carrie calms your fears about not being enough and shares how even two little fish and a few loaves of bread are enough in God's economy.  Are you still a little skeptical or need some extra convincing? Then pour yourself a big cup of coffee and join Carrie for a little coffee break.  It sounds like you need some extra encouragement this week. 

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Transcript

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Hi y'all, this is Carrie Deep from Coffee with Carrie. It's such a privilege to do this adventure we call homeschooling with you. Thank you for tuning in again and walking this homeschooling journey with us. If you're new to us, you can find us on Instagram at Coffee with Carrie Consultant or at our website, coffeewithcary.org. It's our prayer that our website, our homeschooling consulting services, our podcast, and now our new book, Just Breathe, will help you homeschool one step at a time, one day at a time, and one cup of coffee at a time. Pour yourself a cup of coffee, put your feet up, and take a little coffee break with me. Breadcrumbs and fish heads. That about sums it up. Y'all, it's been one of those weeks. No matter how much I planned, how much I prepared, how patient I was, or how much I tried to just go with the flow, everything I touched went to mush. I couldn't seem to say the right things, explain things the right way, or do what was needed to be done. I need to hear this right about now, so maybe someone else out there needs to hear it. Mamas, you are enough. Yes, you are enough. What you offer up to God and share with your kids on a daily basis is enough. Can we do this mission of motherhood and ministry of homeschooling alone and without God? No way. But if God has called you to this task, then you are enough. So what do I mean by this? Well, some of you are probably asking yourself or your hubby right about now, did we make the right choice to homeschool? Are we doing enough? Am I enough? Am I messing up the kids for life? It's normal to doubt yourself or your decision to educate your child in this very counterculture way, but remember these doubts are from the enemy. Don't let those doubts and lies fill your head. Instead, mammas, think on whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, lovely, admirable. If anything is excellent or praiseworthy, then we are to think on those. Tell Satan to hit the road, get them out of your head, and get them out of your home. Because with God on your side, and Jesus leading the way and the Holy Spirit giving you strength, you are enough for your kids. To prove my point, let's take a look at a familiar story from God's Word. In John 6, 1 through 14, Jesus found himself surrounded again by thousands of hungry men, women, and children. When he asked Philip where they could buy bread for these people, Philip answered exactly the way I think my husband would have. Jesus, it would take more than half a year's wages to buy enough bread for each one to even have a bite. The New Living Translation interprets Philip's response this way. Even if we worked for months, we wouldn't have enough money to feed them all. Philip sounds like most of us, doesn't he? Lord, I don't have enough. Even if we worked in plan for months, it still wouldn't be enough to satisfy the needs of my family. I just don't have enough. I'm not enough. But then in comes Andrew. Good old Andrew, I love this guy. So in this story, what does Andrew say in response to Philip's very pragmatic, realistic, yet pessimistic analysis of the situation? Uh hey Jesus, there's this young boy over there with five barley loaves and two fish. Is that enough? Let's see. Five thousand hungry and tired people, five loaves of bread and two fish. I would say no, but according to Jesus, yep, that'll do it. Can you imagine how courageous and bold Andrew must have been to even suggest a thing like this? But he did, and even though his solution was meager and actually quite unrealistic, Andrew knew in the hands of Jesus that somehow this would be enough. I don't know about you, but my response to Jesus, when he tells me to just bring whatever I have, it's usually a week like this, and it sounds like this. But Lord, I don't even have five loaves and two fish. All I've got left to me are some breadcrumbs and a few fish heads. But the Lord's response is the same to me as it was to the disciples. Just bring me what you have and I'll do the rest. God doesn't want me to be a super mom or teacher of the year. He wants me to share my love for him and his word with my kids. He wants us to use our God-given gifts and passions to spark a love of learning in our kids. Mamas, we need to be more like the little boy who offered up his meager meal and more like Andrew, who saw it as a miracle waiting to happen. We need to be like Andrew and just bring what we have, even if it is just a few breadcrumbs and a couple of fish heads. Offer it up to Jesus and then wait to see what awesome things he will do with it. So you see, friends, we are enough. Our two little fish and our five little loaves of bread are enough in God's hands. God will take whatever we give, whatever we offer, whatever we do in his name and for his glory, and turn it into a feast worthy of a king. It will be like the widow's oil and bread. Each day it will somehow replenish itself and multiply. Okay, so practically speaking, how can we apply this principle to our homeschooling? First, I want you to think about and literally write down four or five things that you can realistically do, or four or five gifts or passions that you have, and make sure you write them down. These are your two fish and loaves of bread. Even if you don't have much to offer right now, God wants us to bring whatever we have to him. It's amazing what our God can do with some stale breadcrumbs and a couple of fish heads. So, what are your two fish and five loaves of bread? Or in my case, this week, my stale breadcrumbs and a couple of fish heads. Well, my list would sound something like this. Well, I can cook a pretty good meal. I can read aloud pretty well. I'm very, very organized. Nature is my go-to place, and I really like to play games. So, friends, this list, as you can see, is a meager meal I can set before my children each day. These are the fish and loaves I can give to Jesus each day for him to multiply. What do I mean? You're probably thinking, come on, Carrie, that can't be enough. Well, in God's economy, it really is. God made you and me a certain way with certain abilities and passions. Those are your gifts, and these are my gifts. That is what you and I should be using as the backbone of our homeschooling. You are your child's mom, but even if you weren't homeschooling, you would still be your child's first and most important teacher. Think about it. What are some of your most prized memories of you with your mom? I bet many of them revolve around your mom teaching you something she loved or something she was really good at. Your mom loved this particular thing so much she wanted to share it with you and to pass it on. My favorite memories of my mom are cooking in the kitchen and playing softball. She could cook a mean veal parmesan and turn a bunch of bad news bears into a state-winning softball team. She spent hours in the kitchen teaching me how to bread the veal just right, how to make the perfect pot of red gravy, and how to crisscross the mozzarella cheese just right so it wasn't too much. You know, it's a delicate balance between mozzarella and pomagana cheese. It can make or break an Italian meal. So what are you good at? What are you passionate about? What gifts and strengths do you have? What are your skills? What do you love? Those are the things you start with. Those are the things you teach. Those, my friend, are your fish and your loaves of bread. Write them down, give them to God, and share them with your kids. Then sit back and watch God multiply your efforts. You heard my list of fish and loaves. What are yours? Okay, so maybe you're an advent gardener, you love to dance, you're passionate about horses, and you love adventure. Is that enough? You betcha. I hear you already. Where's the math carry? Where's the writing? We'll get to those in a minute. Just hear me out. If this is your list of fish and bread, then teach your children how to garden and everything that goes with it. That's science, baby. And in the world of sustainable, earth-friendly, green mania, you're really giving your child the gift for a future. Gardening together will give you and your children tons of time together in nature doing good old-fashioned hard work while learning about God's creation. It's nature study at its best. And there's tons of math and gardening, by the way. Share with your children your love of dance by teaching them how to dance or participate in a dance class together or have dance parties every week. If you're a dance teacher or you own your own studio, get your kiddos involved in the classes. And then later when they're older, get them involved in helping you run the studio. Again, there's tons of physics and dancing and math in running your own business, by the way. Share your passions for horses with your kids. Learn about horses together. Read books about horses, write stories about horses, ride them, play horseopoly, learn about the proper care of horses and the different breeds, watch movies and documentaries about horses. Your love and passion about horses will spill over into your child and may even spark an interest in them too. And since you're an adventurous person, go on adventures with your kids. If you have an out-of-the-box type B flexible personality, then don't suppress it, use it. When the Holy Spirit hits you with an inspiration for a field trip or for an adventure, go for it. Not only are they learning something really cool that day on your adventure, but you're making memories with your kids. Then the academic areas that you dislike or the academic areas that dislike you can be tackled little by little using other resources. If math isn't your thing, then find a math curriculum that fits your needs and comfort level. Do you hate writing or teaching it? Well then ask a friend who loves to write or who loves to draw to teach your children once a week. Does your child have an aptitude for music, but you can't carry a tune? Well then locate a musical for her to join, or find a music teacher who can help him pursue his passion for music. So you see, you are enough. Your two fish and five loaves of bread are enough. You really are the perfect person to teach your child. God knew exactly what he was doing when he made you your child's mommy. You really are enough. So if your first month hasn't gone quite the way you were hoping or the way you envision, then pray and ask God to help you. Look at the list of four or five things you love and are good at. Offer them up to God. Ask God to give you creative ways to use your gifts and passions. Ask God to multiply the meager meal you are presenting to your family. This next month, make an effort to include at least one of those things on your list in your homeschooling. Remember, less is more and simple is better, so don't add this one thing to your homeschooling day. Remove something that hasn't been working and then add your fish and loaves. God's plan since the beginning of time was for the family to be the main training ground. He placed us in family units so parents could train and teach their kids about God, about faith, and about life. God placed us in family units so children could learn in a safe, warm, supportive, loving, and nurturing environment. It's God's plan, so it's a good plan. Therefore, your home is enough. No matter what kind of home you live in, and no matter what kind of neighborhood you reside in, everything you need to educate your child can be found within your home. What materials you don't have, your love, encouragement, support, and discipline will make up for it. The little boy and Andrew supplied the two fish and five loaves of bread, but it was Jesus who presented the feast to the crowds. Your home is where you lay out a banquet of goodness for your children to feast on, and then sit back and watch them enjoy every little morsel. So fill your home with shelves and baskets and bins of books, any and every kind of book, chapter books, encyclopedias, biographies, reference books, artist books, science and history, travel books, how-to books, any and everything to help spark their imagination and curiosity. Just about everything you need for a wonderful education can literally be found within the pages of a book. Then fill your kitchen with tools, supplies, recipe books, and any and all kinds of food your budget will allow. Your kitchen's a science lab, a test kitchen, a culinary arts school, and a safety skills mecca. Lessons on work ethic, cleanliness, habits, responsibility, and service can all be learned in the kitchen. And of course, the best part of the kitchen are the memories that are made and the fellowship that takes place there. Start where you live. Visit your backyard all the time. Learn about your community, your state, and what makes it unique. Learn about the animals and trees and flowers that you see most often. Science is happening all the time in your backyard and in your neighborhood. Take advantage of it. You never know. Your child may become an avid bird watcher and wait for those purple martens to arrive every winter. Your husband can teach your children skills he knows. The grandparents can teach your children skills they've mastered. Set up creative spaces around the home where your children can create. Everything your child needs for a good and worthy education can be found in your home. If you're in the home and Jesus is the center of your home, then whatever space you have and whatever fills that space in your home is enough. God created our children with a natural desire to learn. They have an incurable and innate sense of curiosity. Set the feast before them in your home and watch them eat one morsel at a time while growing in their faith, knowledge, imagination, and wisdom. So you see, your home is enough too. If you haven't read Sally Clarkson's new book, Awakening Wonder, get your hands on it. She shares her wisdom and experience on how to use what God has given you and your children to awaken the wonder within them and to spark their curiosity for learning. If you're feeling secluded due to COVID or the safety measures in your state, it's okay. You have everything you need right there in your own home. If distance learning's getting to you, you have everything you need for now in your backyard and in your neighborhood to provide a powerful education. If you're feeling cooped up or lonely, then break open a few books. There are places to visit, things to learn, and new friends to be made within the pages of a book. So you see, Mamas, your home is enough and you are enough. My prayer for you is that you will humbly and boldly bring your fish and loaves to God and leave them at Jesus' feet. I pray that the Lord will bless you and keep you and shine his face upon you, and that he will richly bless your offerings for his honor and glory. I pray that you will truly believe Christ will strengthen you and in your weaknesses he is strong. You've got this, mama. You really are enough. Thank you for hanging out with us and for joining me for this little coffee break. If this was your first time joining us, you can find us at our website, coffeewithcary.org. We also have daily devotions and homeschooling tips at our Instagram account, Coffee with Carrie Consultant. If you heard something you like, then share our podcast, our Instagram and website, and our new book, Just Breathe, with a friend who might need a little encouragement, or share it with a friend who might be thinking of homeschooling. We're praying for you. Stay healthy, God bless, and see you next time.