We’ve been doing mostly “fun” stuff, although the children might not realize that it is actually fun. I enjoyed going to The Alamo, and learning about the Battle of Gonzalez. I checked out at least ten books from the library (if not more), and then we religiously study them so that we would know what we were looking at when we went to the missions of Texas.

 

I think that reading a book is fun if you later go and see what you read about. That doesn’t apply to everything, though. I am reading about Marxism, Socialism, and Communism, mostly to be able to explain to them that we hear on podcasts here and there. Sometimes I get bored and I want to quit, but I want to be able to explain to Libby and Enzo why children under eighteen years old are not legally allowed to be taught about Jesus in China.

What does it mean that China is a totalitarian state? What does it mean that there are presidential candidates in the U.S. that actually would want to take away the tax-exemption status from organizations that do not cheer the LBGTQ+ agenda? What is the worldview of those candidates? What philosophies are vibrant in the culture that God has planted us in? How can you recognize buzzwords like patriarchy, oppression, racism, deconstructing, and misogyny? What do they mean? What worldview do they come from?

I am so thankful that I am able to use my own spiritual gifts to train them to think critically. Of course, in my ideal world, we talk about all these interesting issues while learning about Math and History, but the thing is Enzo cannot sit still for five minutes during Catechism and Bible. There are many tears in some of our days lately because, in his words, I ruin most of them by telling him what to do.

God is teaching me patience. I’ve had a photo of Enzo in my office since he was three years old. Our trials were different back then, but this is still a season that God is using to grow me, and I am sure Enzo is growing, too.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

James 1:2-8 (v2)

 

 

I read an article in Ligonier that explains that the concept of rejoicing during trials is the idea of reckoning or considering. We are to consider what we are going through as a matter of joy, not because the thing itself is something that is pleasurable, but because tribulation works patience within us. Our suffering is not an exercise in futility. God has a purpose, and that purpose is always good. In order to be able to count it all joy, I have to be able to trust God.

Do I have that kind of confidence in the sovereignty and goodness of God? Do I look to Christ in the midst of my sufferings, or do I tend to focus on the present situation until I are consumed by it?

I want to trust God with my life and the life of my children, and I am very happy and thankful that He has allowed me to parent Enzo these seven years. They have not been easy, but I wouldn’t change a thing. All things will work out for good for those who love God, for those who have been called according to His purpose 🙂