I am learning to listen to the Holy Spirit as I lead our homeschool. And over the last 5 weeks, I have watched God do some pretty amazing things in our lessons.
For our Bible curriculum, my kids are working through grade appropriate workbooks. Each lesson has Scripture(s) which they use to complete the lessons. Many times I expound on the Scriptures. And some days, the Holy Spirit really grows the lessons. Today was one of those days.
Today's lesson was in Judges 6. We were discussing Gideon and the Lord's instructions for him to tear down the idol Baal and the Asherah pole because it was idolatry. They were amazed that people actually worshiped statues and such. And I explained that it is still happening today in many religions and cultures.
Then I brought it home - to their hearts. I asked "What are some things that you worship?" And I explained what and how we worship idols that may not be statues, but are the exact same as statues. I defined 'worship' as things that consume our minds and hearts, things we think will bring us happiness or joy, things that if we think we have them we will be complete.
Each one of us (including myself) went around the table and said out loud the things that we worshiped. I'm always so thankful for my kids transparency. Then I pulled out construction paper to demonstrate this. I cut out a heart (us) and then a shape out of the middle of the heart. With a separate piece of paper, I cut out different shapes (representing the stuff we worship). We went around the table trying to put the wrong sized shapes (idols) into the hole to see if they fit. Of course they didn't. And then we put the piece that I had cut out (Jesus). And of course it fit perfectly.
The fun part was that they all got to cut out a heart and a shape inside the heart.
I explained that only God can fill that hole perfectly. No one or thing can complete us or make us whole. And yet we try try try to fill it, day in and day out - with things, people, affirmation, cell phones, a new job, a new toy, a car, a house, ourselves. And we think "If I just had ______, then I would be happy." And yet it's a lie. Nothing but Jesus makes us whole.
So here's the most amazing part of this lesson. I checked my email as the kids were working on their hearts and this was the Proverbs 31 Ministries devotion for the day 'Letting God Fill My Empty Places' (
http://proverbs31.org/devotions/devo/). As I read through the devotion, I was amazed - it was the exact same lesson from the perspective of the woman at the well (John 4)!
I read it to them and they were amazed too!
I couldn't do this great task of schooling my kids without the strength of the Lord. He is alive and active, and teaching in the midst of our little school! And I am so so thankful that this broken gal get's to be apart of God's amazing work!
