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Marriage, motherhood, homeschooling and all else in between. By God's design.
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As I watched my six-year-old wiggle through kidsā church yesterday, I saw Godās love in actionāHis rules paired with grace create a āwiggle roomā where we can grow. Allow me to boast in the LORD whose faithfulness has always been my portion.
Grateful for People
Iām blessed and honored to have mutual follows with some of the best REAL people on X. My account is small so if youāre following me on X or other platforms and reading this, know that Iām eternally grateful for you. Iām choosing not to stress about any algorithm or trend. Years ago, a painful experience taught me that God is easier to please than people and when I prioritize pleasing Him instead, life becomes pleasantly peaceful.
Godās Order in Christian Parenting
Fast forward to October 19, 2025, a Sunday. I was with my husband, our six-year-old son, and one of my sisters in the worship hall for the 6pm service. My mom was cheerfully serving as an usher at the doors.
Earlier, I watched my son in the 3pm kidsā church from a distance. He was all over the placeārunning, jumping from mat to mat, playing with other boys. Yet, for a good part of the program, he sat on the mat, listened, obeyed instructions, watched the live Bible story on stage, and answered pop-quiz Bible questions with other kids aged 6 and up. I smiled as he raised his hand a number of times to ask questions or to be allowed to speak.
How do you handle a group of kids needing bathroom breaks while still meeting a learning goal? I observed a Lifeshaper as she prepared to take my son and other kids to an area outside the hall. She handed them a flat rope with rings and let each kid hold onto a ring to stay with the group. With each step, she literally walked them through the dayās big idea (āGod helps me to bless othersā) and memory verse: āMy body and my mind may become weak, but God is my strength. He is mine foreverā (Psalm 73:26 ICB). She sat them in a circle and gave clear instructions to go one at a time. My son waited patiently for his turn. It seemed a bit too long but, thankfully, he was able to hold it in.
I donāt love rules, yet as a parent, Iām a stickler for order. Iāve learned that rules and order go hand-in-hand. Without clear rules, thereās no semblance of order. God is a God of order and peace, and His rules are given out of loveāto protect us, not restrict us; to nurture our free will, not suppress it; not only for aesthetics but fully for His glory.
Wiggle Room of Godās Love
I get frustrated when people disobey rules, but the older I get, the more I see that humanity benefits with a bit of wiggle room. That wiggle room is called love. Watching the Lifeshaper lovingly create space for the kids to learn and grow, I knew thereās something my family and I must do. (More on this in a future post, Lord-willing.)
During the 6pm service, we stood together. One of the songs, āStand Strongā is memorable for me as my husband and I sang with our hands entwined, arms raised in worship to our God. That wasn’t something we normally do as a couple. By Godās grace, we werenāt campaigningāwe were championing something bigger than ourselves. We’re championing each other as co-heirs in Godās Kingdom. Weāre championing marriage as God designed it, tearing down idols, breaking unhealthy cycles, and pruning dysfunctions. Weāre two imperfect people championing the perfect cause of Christ down the line. We don’t have millions of followers or net worth, but we have a mustard seed of faith planted in our hearts. Thatās more than enough for us to persevere, as my life verse reminds me:
āNot that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.ā (Philippians 3:12-14 ESV)
A Legacy of Faith
Years ago, when I was a volunteer in kidsā church, a guy gave me a poster with this verse: āBut by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.ā (1 Corinthians 15:10 ESV)
Iāve long lost that poster, but the guy who gave me that poster is now my husband of nearly 13 years. On top of the pounds and grey hairs weāre gaining, we have Christ. We have a son growing in Christ, a Mama serving Christ, and families getting to know Christ. And, yes, we have a lot of wiggle room in Christ. Weāll keep pressing on, working hard, and persevering. In between and along the way, weāll make time for rest and play.
Thank you for reading! Where is God giving you āwiggle roomā to grow in faith right now? Share your thoughts in the comments below or tag me on X when you do. Shabbat Shalom!
Our son learned to read before he was three years old. He joined an online playgroup for a year while I used a reading program that emphasized phonetics/phonemes.
Though we donāt religiously memorize Bible verses, our reading practice is more on Bible stories and childrenās books that promote good values.
I play Bible songs and Bible stories on Spotify almost everyday.
As I write this, (Iām not proud of this) I have a pending, long overdue report for the last quarter of his assessment. After a milestone presentation around the 20th week of our curriculum, our academic learning times went downhill due to successive sicknesses.
Mentally, something in me sort of broke and I got at a crossroads (still on one) considering whether itās really worth it to continue on the path we have chosen.
If I may share, here are some of the topics our little one has learned in about 24+ weeks of Kindergarten (on top of Bible stories and principles):
Timeline Age of Ancient Empires to Modern Times
Skip counting 2s til 15s
Associative Law of Addition
Associative Law of Multiplication
Geometry, Fractions
Geography (weāre ābehindā with maps)
English Prepositions
Latin Declensions
Elements of shape, abstract art, Renaissance artists
Mozart, Handel, Bach, the Orchestra
Classification of living things
Science experiments
This is not a complete, exhaustive list but I.am.exhausted trying to go through them in my mind.
I couldnāt bring myself to the required mental and emotional state I used to have to consistently prepare for āschoolā.
Discipline isnāt pleasant, itās inconvenient, uncomfortable.
I am reminded: a good education matters when Christ is at the center. Unless we discipline ourselves and pursue excellence for the goal of glorifying God, all hardwork is only vanity. Or maybe Iām lazy.
Iām still in the process of finding the intersection of discipline and love for learning. I have to find that rhythm where learning remains to be fun, not a chore. I like long-distance runs over sprints, personal bests over trophies, chill over hustle.
As I write this, our little learner is currently on medication for what the doc suspects is either mpox or hand, foot and mouth disease.
Weāre taking it easy.
Homeschooling isnāt only school at home.