By Sara Huhmann

What does a successful day look like? If you are anything like me, I usually start the day out with a list of expectations that I plan to accomplish. During the school year, my list is usually made up of things like which subjects we are going to cover, how long I will spend with each child individually working on reading, what time I am going to get dinner started so it is ready on time, etc.

Some days we hit pretty close to “target” and I feel good about our accomplishments. Other days start off with an argument between siblings that derails my schedule. These are the days when I sometimes question our success because they aren’t as productive as I had envisioned. By now I should expect those interruptions. But time for talking through the heart issues behind a squabble and disciplining don’t usually make my “to do” lists.

The Disconnect

I think one of the big reasons for this inconsistency is that God has a completely different “to do” list for our days than I have. I tend to be focused on progress and tasks that can be measured physically. But the truth is, much of the progress God wants to make in our family is in changing our character.

With this being the first year that I have homeschooled 3 children, it has caused me to re-evaluate my definition of a successful day.  Do we have academic criteria that we need to meet? Sure. Are we diligent about using our time wisely? I try to be. But my eyes have been opened to the fact that there is so much more to be learned (both by my children and by me) than math facts and phonics sounds. Through the process of learning together at home, we are also learning a lot about our own sin tendencies and our character flaws that cause “rub” in our relationships. It is one of the great blessings and challenges of homeschooling!

A New Way of Thinking

When my kids fight over who gets to use the coveted blue gel pen for their drawing project first or when I have a bad attitude about our child’s lack of progress learning to read, I am learning to see those as just as important educational opportunities as the science and language arts lessons. Instead of viewing them as “time suckers,” I am even learning to be thankful for them! I am thankful because without those fights and bad attitudes, we would miss out on opportunities to be confronted with our own sin. Each time, it is God’s grace toward us reminding us of our need for Him. Each time it is an opportunity to ask each other for forgiveness and to ask God to help change us.

Did you have a successful day today? I’ll bet it was more successful than you realize.