Biblical Womanhood and Christian Living
My Very Present Help
By Kimberly Eddy
Jul 16, 2005 - 5:12:00 PM

"My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth." ~Psalm 121:2

Talking within a group of Christian, homeschooling moms, the topic often comes up: What is the most important, influential help to you as you homeschool your children? Usually the question is posed by a younger mom eager to learn and grow, to do right by her husband and children. Normally, the expected answer is some amazing organizational tool, or a curriculum choice, or a book to inspire us on our way. What is the single biggest help for a busy mother in my experience? The answer may not be the one a harried mother wants to hear! After being a mom for twelve years and a Christian for fifteen years, I can honestly say, the single biggest help any of us will ever find is Jesus.

Oh, I know what you are thinking. "Yes, Kimberly, I am a Christian. I know Jesus. I need something more practical."

Well then, let's get practical. How is your walk with God in practical terms?

When I was a new mom and a new Christian, I often looked to others. There was no sense in reinventing the wheel. Walking in the footsteps of others is a good thing, after all. However, many years and five children later, I soon realized that I had made the mistake of exclusively looking to others for guidance, and not the Lord. In this information age, it is easy to do that.

There are many great books out there, and I am thankful for them all. There are many wonderful organizers and curricula, and speakers, magazines and websites. We are so very fortunate to live in a day where so much helpful information is available to us as we seek to honor the Lord in our homes and families. However, if we are to succeed in doing what God has put us here on this Earth to do, we are going to need to enter into a very close, regular, faithful, personal relationship with that same God.

"I do! I already have a relationship with the Lord. I accepted Him as my Savior back in my teen years!" some might protest. Wonderful! Accepting Jesus as our Savior and Lord is the first step to a relationship. The relationship I am talking about is more than a one-time deal.

This greatest help of mine involves meeting with the Lord in the morning, before my day has really begun. I talk to Him, sometimes even as I am putting in a load of wash or making breakfast! I praise Him and thank Him for a new day. I open His Word and gather some fresh manna. I say with David, "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee." (Psalm 63:1-3). Meeting with God each morning is my secret weapon!

That is not all! My relationship with the Lord does not end with the start of my day. At breakfast, we talk about our devotional times. We are training our children to have their own devotional times with the Lord, and right now the older ones are sometimes put on the spot: What did the Lord show you today as you met with Him? It is not only the children put on the spot, either. Many times the children will ask me, "Mom, what did the Lord show you today?"

Sometimes my children run into difficulties during the homeschool day. Learning is fun, but it is also hard work, and some subjects can be frustrating. Do we get on the phone and ask someone else for help, or do we get on our knees, with our child, and pray for help? Good counsel is a gift from God, but let us not neglect running boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16), because there we receive "help in our time of need."

There are those many unsaved family members and friends which burden our hearts. So many times, especially early on raising my family for the Lord, I was more fearful of their potential influence for wrong in our children's lives than I was fearful for them and their eternal destination. I sought out advice and information for dealing with difficult extended family relationships whereever I could find it. I am still careful about those influences from those who are combatant against our faith, but I have also realized that God is a faithful God who answers prayer. Therefore, prayer must be a bigger part of my life than complaining about the negative influences of extended family. After being faithful in prayer myself, teaching my children how to pray must be a priority.

In submitting to my husband's leadership, I am amiss if I don't pray for him to make wise and God-honoring decisions. I submit to my husband in obedience to the Lord, trusting in the Lord to work through him in our family. This is a weighty matter for my husband to be making decisions that affect our entire family. He needs the Lord, and he needs a praying wife to lift up his arms (Exodus 17:10-12).

There are so many good things to be involved in, and so many things pulling on me for my time, energy, and skills. What do we do, and what do we not do? I can't find that answer in a book; I must go to the Lord Who has a plan and a purpose for my life and for each of my children's lives. He knows what they need better than I do. He knows what I need better than I do, too!

So many choices need to be made throughout our days, our weeks, our months, and our years. Many decisions we make with our husbands over the long term, such as those concerning curriculum, extra-curricular activities, organizational, and scheduling issues. There are many more situations that arise, moments of crises, and a host of other things calling out to us where we need to make a fast decision. How do we manage? Are we prayed up and in the Word enough to know the general will of God in various areas? Are we able to discern truth from error when we read a magazine or website, or listen to advice dispensed from someone who sounds good?

Psalm 46:1 says, "God is my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." God is our ultimate help. All of the many tools available to help out the Christian mom can be wonderful, but they are of no use without a sure foundation: a mom who has her feet planted upon the Rock of Jesus Christ, by spending time in His Word and with Him in prayer.