WHAT FAITH LOOKS LIKE IN OUR LARGE FAMILY
is part of the Write 31 2017 Challenge.
Read 31 Days of Life in a Large Homeschooling Family for more posts.
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I was thinking of what to share for today’s post on faith in our large homeschooling family. And I felt impressed to share what faith looks like in our family thus far. I hope it encourages you.
But as you read, please do not ever think we have it together. We don’t. We still struggle. Daily. For what it is worth, this is what faith in our large family looks like:
1. trusting Him with our family’s size and spacing
People have a lot to say to us and behind our backs about our decision to trust God with our family size. But we look to the One whom we said “yes” to back in 2003 when we were convicted to trust Him.
Was it difficult back in the days when the babies came every other year? Yes! Oh, yes! But did we survive? Yes! Did He provide? Yes! Did my faith increase? YES!!!
Every time He gives us a baby, He provided the means – financial and physical – to care for the child. He is faithful, not us.
2. trusting Him with our daily bread
Yes, life in Singapore is expensive. Life with a big family in Singapore is even more so. And when you have children who eat A LOT, faith is seeing Him provide daily for our needs.
Whenever I go to the market and come back with bags and bags of food that we can pay for, I am grateful. He even provides treats!
3. trusting Him for our homeschooling journey
Homeschooling is not only expensive, it is also challenging in Singapore.
Most of the homeschool curriculum come from the United States so shipping can be expensive. The authorities also do not look favourable on homeschooling although it is legal at the moment. But it means that in many areas we are not considered first.
But every time I am faced with a challenging moment in our homeschool, I pray back to the Lord what He said to me in Joshua 1:8.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
He commanded me. He knows I am terrified. But He also that He is with me wherever I go. And so, I trust Him, child by child. At every PSLE, and in time with every application to the universities and polytechnics*.
*By His grace, David has been successful in getting a place with NUS.
READ: Why Do We Homeschool
4. trusting Him for our children’s faith walk
Every Christian parent will want their children to choose God. But not every child will choose to follow Him. And I have to trust that He will watch over them, whichever way they choose to go.
Our job is to lead and guide them in the faith when they are young. And then to pray that as they wrestle with and question God, they would choose Him in the end.
READ: Doing Devotionals with the Children
5. obeying His commands
Jesus said that if we love Him, we will obey Him. And so we teach our children obedience from young. Training them so that when God calls them individually, they would know how to obey Him.
READ: The Importance of Teaching Obedience to Our Children (Why Our Children Need to Obey)
Your turn
What does faith mean in your family, large or small?