Please note: I added this great article to this website because MOST new people to homeschooling say, "I can't homeschool...." and then continue to name their weaknesses. We all have weaknesses, but what homeschooling is mainly about is teaching the child to love learning, so that they can grow on their own.

When you consider the possibility of home schooling for the first time,

it's a little like deciding that your event in track and field will be

the high hurdles. The first time you look at that track, all you see are

the hurdles, one after another. You don't think about the stamina you

build by training for the event. You don't think about the satisfaction

you will gain by actually learning to clear the hurdles. And you don't

anticipate the joy of winning the race. You just think about the

hurdles. But God never calls us to do anything based on the merits of

As a prospective (or veteran) home-schooling mother, you may find the

perceived benefits of home education paling in comparison to the hurdles

you are visualizing having to clear. And, when you're really honest with

yourself-and I'm really honest with myself-the biggest hurdles we face

So the question really is, Do we have to be superwomen to home school?

Let me be painfully transparent here. I feel my inadequacies everyday as

a wife and as a mother. In subsequent articles we will deal with the

particular issues of IQ, patience, domesticity, organizational acumen,

and consistency. But for now, let's look at the underlying issue

here-we're not sure we're adequate for the job or up to the challenge.

The truth is that God never calls us to do anything based on the merits

of our own strength. I often contemplate the story of Jesus telling the

disciples to feed the multitudes, and the disciples telling Jesus, "We

How did Jesus respond to the disciples? Did He say, "Boy, you're right.

What was I thinking?" Hardly. He knew how many people had to be fed. And

He was well aware of the disciples' meager resources. His response to

the disciples was simply, "Bring them (the loaves and fishes) here to

And ordering the multitudes to recline on the grass, He took the five

loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed

the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and

disciples gave to the multitudes. And they all ate, and were satisfied.

And they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve

full baskets. And there were about five thousand men who ate, aside

What are the lessons for us as parents to glean from the miracle of the

1. We must do as Jesus instructed the disciples: we must take our

resources to Him. Just as Jesus was well aware of the disciples' meager

resources, He is equally aware of ours. He is not surprised or taken off

2. When our resources are in Jesus' hands, they are safe.

What a relief and release it is to put our resources into such capable

hands. Surely this One who "holds the whole world in His hands" is

capable of holding that little portion that I commit to him. When Jesus

takes our resources in His hands, He is free to bless them and break

3. Notice that after blessing and breaking the loaves, Jesus returned

the food to the disciples. He wanted them to feed the multitudes,

although Jesus could have easily chosen to feed the multitudes Himself.

He could have reserved the joy of feeding so many hungry people for

Himself. After all, He performed the miracle. He multiplied the

resources. And I'm sure that the multitudes were looking to Him to feed

them. But God in His great love and grace wanted the disciples to have

the joy of sharing in His work, experiencing His abundance, and

relishing the fulfillment that comes from serving others.

4. When we commit our resources to Him, and He blesses them, the results

are truly astonishing! With five loaves and two fish, the disciples

didn't possess enough food to nourish themselves, much less a great

5. Remember: God is able do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask

or think (Ephesians 3:20). Even if Jesus had given the disciples only

what they needed to feed the crowd of five thousand, He would have still

provided for them miraculously and abundantly. But Matthew tells us that

after everyone was satisfied, the disciples gathered twelve baskets of

leftover food. That is exceeding abundantly. God is not stingy. He wants

to fill our cups to overflowing. We just have to remember to first give

Do you have to be Superwoman to home school? No. You simply need to take

your meager, inadequate resources and place them in the hands of Jesus.

Hebrews tells us that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

The same Jesus who met the disciples in their time of need and

multiplied their very inadequate resources in the process is waiting for

you to place your resources in His very large hands. Brace yourself--the

Zan Tyler is the editor of the Crosswalk.com HomeSchool Channel, and the

co-author of the book Anyone Can Homeschool. She and her husband, Joe,

have three children and have been home schooling since 1984.