The seasons are changing fast in my neck of the woods. Sweatshirts are out of the closets as temps dip into the chilly range, and the first changing leaves have been spotted. The marvel of changing seasons can be lost on us in the busyness of our daily lives as women. For many, the onset of autumn means school has resumed, which means homeschooling has resumed in many situations. After the last two years of on-again-off-again traditional school, many families have turned to homeschool as the best way to educate their children. Homeschooling is not for the faint of heart, specifically for believers; it is one more area where the enemy can have a stronghold. But the lies he whispers day in and day out have changed over the years. When the lie, “You can’t do this on your own,” wasn’t working as effectively, he simply changed it to, “You’ve got this!”
While the lie, “you can’t do this on your own,” can drag us down if we recognize the truth behind it, we become stronger when we lean on God to do what we cannot on our own, and then it backfires on our enemy! Believing the lie, “you’ve got this,” is much more deadly to believers as it pushes God right out of the equation. Why would we seek God’s wisdom or help when we are fully capable on our own, or so we have been deceived. God never hides the truth from us, and He states it very plainly in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” Again in Luke 1:37, an angel tells Mary, “For with God nothing will be impossible.” Remember that Mary was given this message immediately after she was told she would become pregnant as a virgin, and without the assistance of modern fertility measures, something we all know very well is impossible.
It is mind-blowing to think of how God Himself took on the form of multiplying cells to grow and become a baby in Mary’s womb and go through the birthing process to enter the world to show us His amazing plan for our salvation from sin. This same God makes sure our lungs are filled with air for each breath; our tendons, bones, and muscles stay connected, so we have movement in our arms and legs, hands and feet; our eyes blink at the right rate to keep our eyes moisturized but not driving us crazy with rapid movement. Do any of us ever think of those things as miracles, something impossible God does for us? Nope, but the moment something in our body doesn’t work the way it was designed to, we become keenly aware of the gift we had but took for granted. And suddenly, “you’ve got this” doesn’t get us very far. We realize that without God, we can do nothing; we are nothing.
As a homeschooling mom, I am very aware of my shortcomings. As this year started, I asked God to help me see those patient-trying moments with my children as gifts from Him, like sandpaper to a wood project, smoothing my rough edges to make me more Christ-like. God also uses us as moms and educators to smooth our children’s rough edges to help them be more Christ-like. Proverbs 27:17 isn’t just for friends, but family too! As women, let’s band together and stand strong against the lie, “You’ve got this!” We don’t have anything, but we can do all things through Christ’s strength! (Philippians 4:13)
Melissa Holmquist is a Pastor’s wife and mother of four in St Johns, MI.
