One thing that really wrecks my happiness about homeschooling is persistent bad attitudes on the part of my kids. I won’t mention names.

A while back, when our church ladies wen through Priscilla Shirer’s Armor of God Bible study, I realized a new application of Scripture to homeschooling:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

This took homeschooling and attitudes to a new level. I recognized that yes, in their flesh my kids have bad attitudes, but it’s also probable that dark influences inflame those tendencies, just as they probably do in my own thoughts when I’m having grumpiness or whatever wrong reactions/thoughts.

And to recognize that Satan, of course, will do whatever he can to undermine the treasured relationships God created on earth, not only the relationship between husband and wife, but that between parents and children.

Satan wants to wreck my relationship with my kids, and he uses the most banal things, you know.

So, I typed out a page, and we discussed this a few months back. First, I want to add a few Truth Thoughts that I added for myself:

I could believe the lie that this is a child that I don’t match or fit with, or I could believe the truth that God made me this particular child’s mother and in Him are all the adequacies. Bad attitudes tend to feed into the lie that I am not able, capable, etc. Truth: God’s made/is making me capable to mother each child.

“I can do all things through Christ.” Paul wrote this in a context of life circumstances– and in the circumstance of homeschooling, I can homeschool through Christ who gives me strength.

Here is the page I wrote and that Vitaliy, the girls and I discussed together, a type of agreement:

God particularly created the relationships between parents and brothers and sisters to have special spiritual influences on each other.

Satan attacks this relationship, and our sin natures lead us away from each other. But God teaches us how to relate to each other and gain great treasure from obeying Him in our relationships.

Satan wants to use bad and uncaring attitudes to rob us.

Let’s agree:

My attitude is just as important as the work. If I can’t do it with a good attitude, I will set it aside and open my heart to God asking Him for a right attitude.

I will compare myself to Christ, not to another person.

I do my work like I am working for God. School is where I do my best work; I don’t try to do a minimum of work. I will find blessing in my work by doing it faithfully with all my heart.

So … this helped me a lot.