Hebrews 10:35-36 says, "So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised." Have you thrown away the confidence you once had for homeschooling? Have you been told that your children would be better off in school with professionals who have been trained to teach? Have you been thinking that your children are missing out on what other kids are getting in school that you can't offer them at home? Let me assure you that you're not alone. We all have our moments of questioning whether we're really doing the will of God. None of us is exempt from Satan's attacks. He doesn't like it when we are confident in doing what is right and good.

Let me also assure you that confidence is not tied to a feeling. We don't have to feel confident to be confident. There are many times that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am doing exactly what God wants me to do, but I might be feeling anything but confident. There have been plenty of times that my level of confidence has more closely resembled a plate of soggy, cold spaghetti rather than a tall, strong oak. And it is just as likely that I will feel this way with other homeschool parents as with non-homeschoolers. The past few years I have battled with fibromyalgia, and there are days that I can hardly drag myself out of bed much less perform exciting science projects and guide my children through the complexities of English grammar. Believe it or not, there are days that my kids just have to muddle through and fend for themselves almost entirely on their own. Those are days that I don't feel confident at all.

The good news is that our confidence does not need to be in ourselves and our human abilities (or lack thereof). Our confidence rests on our all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present God. Our job is to keep our focus on His will and to persevere in doing His will. Scripture reminds us that if we do not throw away our confidence we will be rewarded. We can be confident in a God who keeps His promises. We don't have to second-guess our decisions. We don't have to question whether we are able to give our children what they need. God is able. Our confidence is in Him. Ephesians 3:20 reminds us that "God is able to do far more than we could ever ask for or imagine. He does everything by his power that is working in us."

Copyright © by Tina James