"By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; and by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches." ~Proverbs 24:3-4
The Blessings of Serving as a Homeschool Leader
As homeschool leaders do you sometimes wonder if your efforts are appreciated, or if the time and energy you spend helping other people is worth it? Serving as a homeschool leader means that we have a multitude of extra tasks added to an already full plate of managing our households and educating our children. Nevertheless, being a good leader requires a sincere commitment to assist others regardless of our personal situation. I can recall many times when I’ve put the needs of the homeschool group before something of my own that I wanted to get done. However, I do believe that’s what true leadership is all about. While this type of servant leadership is a huge responsibility, it can also be a blessing. By stepping outside the shadow of our selves, we may see a bright light that we otherwise would have missed.
For example, as a support group leader my life has been enriched by getting to know more of the members than I normally would. They have become like an extended family to me. I am humbled to have the opportunity to “walk in other people’s shoes” as they share their problems, frustrations, and emotions. Observing how their faith and passionate prayer life accompany challenges has been especially uplifting and has greatly strengthened my own faith. At the same time, as leaders we all want to do good, to effect positive change, to help others. And yet whenever I feel a sense of satisfaction knowing that I have made a difference in somebody’s life, I am reminded not to get caught up in my own self-righteousness. This is because whatever significance we have does not come from who we are or the position we hold. God is the one who calls us to be leaders, and He is the one who equips us with what is necessary to fulfill that which He called us to do.
An important role of leaders is connecting with and caring for other people despite what issues we are facing in our own lives. By doing so, we may receive special blessings in return. When I was confronted with some trying experiences this past year, the group members were always there to rally behind me and back me up. Amazingly, the year culminated with a miraculous ending reminiscent of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” a perennial holiday favorite of our family. This movie tells the story of George Bailey, a man who constantly places the needs of others before that of himself and sacrifices his dreams to help his hometown. Suddenly on the verge of personal and financial ruin through no fault of his own, he finds the entire town pitching in to save his building and loan business. This year as we watched the movie, we were undergoing a similar situation. My husband had recently lost his job, making it the fourth time he was laid off in four years. Consequently, he and I were able to identify with George’s overwhelming feelings of frustration, anguish and failure.
I was particularly touched by the part of the movie where all of the townspeople that George had helped over the years came forward to assist him in his time of need. It made me wonder if in real life it would be possible for an ordinary person to be blessed with so many generous, loving friends like that. Well, this Christmas I discovered the answer to my question. On Christmas Eve, one of the local homeschool families stopped by our house to give us an envelope. It looked like a Christmas card, but it was quite thick. My husband and I opened it up, and it was full of cash. We counted, and counted, and counted… it added up to over $1,000! The card was signed by members of the homeschool group with comments like:
“Thank you for being such tireless servants of God.”
“Thank you so much for all you do to bless the homeschooling community.”
“Your articles and website has blessed our family.”
Needless to say, my husband and I were astonished, amazed, and surprised! Christmas miracles really do happen! I think that this unexpected Christmas gift was ultimate proof that as homeschool support group leaders assisting others, our members also bless and support us.
L
K