April 5, 2023 – What to Do When Mom is Exhausted

Mercy Every Minute

Deborah Wuehler, TOS Senior Editor

I Just Need a Minute!

Sitting down for a minute to write this, my head became heavy and started bobbing and I had no idea what was being typed because I was so tired. My brain was saying, “There’s still so much to be done!” My better self said, “But you need rest! You can do this tomorrow when you have had rest.”

Often, I am full of unrest. But I simply cannot rest if I am striving to complete my own agenda, especially regarding homeschooling. These are the times I am like a wayward sheep and going in the opposite direction of my Shepherd. He leads us to rest (study Psalm 23).

It’s not that our plans are wrong or bad—they seem right, but they are not necessarily where our Shepherd would lead. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Knowing the right way to go each day starts with spending time close to the Shepherd’s side.

He leads us to green pastures and still waters. He knows our souls are hungry and thirsty and we cannot rest if we are not satisfied. We will never be satisfied with rest until we follow His leading and eat what the Shepherd offers.

These articles from The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine reinforce that:

Priorities, Resources and Responsibility, by Nancy Doran
Homeschool Mama, You Are Not Alone,  by Jenny Underwood
What to Do When You are Nice and Crispy, by Mary Hood, PhD

I have been too busy with the cares of this life to sit at the Lord’s feet for nourishment. Yet, the very thing I crave is rest for this poured out mother-teacher. Not only that, but any success in homeschooling will come from meditating on His Word (Psalm 1). His Word satisfies.

If you feel like you “just need a minute” take that minute to the LORD Jesus and see what food He has to offer.

In our new podcast series, this week I talk about rest. Perhaps you can find a moment of rest to listen in at www.HomeschoolShow.com.

And, in our Schoolhouse Devotions on YouTube, I talk more extensively about Homeschooling and Rest. Take a “teacher time-out” and find more help here:

Homeschooling and Rest, Part 1 – YouTube Schoolhouse Devotions
Homeschooling and Rest, Part 2– YouTube Schoolhouse Devotions
Homeschooling and Rest, Part 3– YouTube Schoolhouse Devotions
In the pages of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine: Why Am I So Tired? by Deborah Wuehler

~Deborah

Grammar doesn’t have to be complicated! Visit www.easygrammar.com to learn about our unique approach to grammar. It is “Easy to Teach…Easy to Learn…Easy to Remember!”

Stacy Farrell

HomeschoolAdventure.com

A New Perspective

During a season of writing while homeschooling, my days started at 3:00 a.m. and often didn’t end until late at night (seven days a week). But in June of 2012, a profound and deeply personal experience transformed my perspective on rest. It came at a time when I desperately needed it.

Are You Tired?

Before I share my story, let me ask you, are you tired? Even when you’re utterly exhausted—do you still feel like you have too much to do to “indulge” in rest? If taking time to rest is a struggle for you, these three steps may help:

1. Count the Cost: It may be easy for you to consider the cost of taking time to rest, but have you considered what it may cost if you don’t? Without rest, productivity starts to tank, overwhelm creeps in, and we’re more likely to become irritable. When that happens, our limitations suddenly become our family’s burden.

2. Make a Commitment: Because motherhood is a real job with 24/7 hours, rest doesn’t “just happen. ”You must plan for it as you would any other task. Put a date on the calendar and honor that commitment as you would if you had a date with a dear friend.

3. Trust Him: Pray for wisdom to identify what needs to be done—and what can wait. Keep your priorities in mind, and work on the must do’s. Then, when your scheduled date arrives, rest … and release the outcome of your efforts into His capable hands.

Permission Granted

Acknowledge the difference between laziness and limitations. You are finite, dear momma. Consequently, it is good and necessary to slow down at times. The Lord impressed this upon me in an unforgettable way. Some would dismiss my experience as mere “coincidence.” But I recognized it as a private miracle that quite literally had my name on it. You can read about it here. This experience granted me “permission” to take a guilt-free day of rest each week. I pray it does the same for you.

His love,
Stacy

About the author

Surprised by Jesus, Stacy went from an unmarried, childless, 30-something career woman to a Christ-following wife of more than twenty-eight years with two sons she homeschooled K-12. She battled fear and overwhelm, but survived and thrived. Author of more than books—including the award-winning Philosophy Adventure and newly released Food Prep Guide, she loves to equip and encourage homeschool families. Visit her at HomeschoolAdventure.com or at her newly-launched site: FoodPrepGuide.com.

Diane Heeney

Pillar of Faith
Diane Heeney – Find Your Strength in God

Something I’m learning is that a strong woman is one who understands when she isn’t. She stops trying to be “all that” and starts leaning harder on her Rock and resting her feet solidly upon His expectations of her rather than those of everyone else.

She knows that sometimes it is strong to say no, to take a nap, to ask for help, to close the books and go for a nature walk . . . and stronger to throw a frozen pizza in the oven and be present than to create that fancy meal that wears her to a frazzle.

She’s discovered that strength comes from simplifying. Finding satisfaction in a short list of actual needs rather than trying to fulfill the long list of insatiable wants others demand of her. Strength comes in living in contentment, undistracted.

Most importantly, she’s discovered that strength is found in the fresh hope of forgiveness and the realization that God’s superabundance of grace, and the luxury with which it is bestowed upon us every day will never, ever be exhausted. To quote C. S. Lewis, “Relying on God has to start all over every day, as if nothing has yet been done.” 

Be strong, mama. Lean hard.

About the author

Diane Heeney is a graduate of Bob Jones University, where she served on faculty for ten years. She has been Assistant to the Director of Advertising Sales at The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine since 2016. She’s homeschooled her three children over the course of the past 18 years, having graduated their two oldest. Diane, her husband Patrick, and their youngest child, Katie, reside in eastern Wyoming.

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