Homeschool Prayer Challenge Week 14: 5 Simple Things I’ve Learned About Discipline In Our Homeschool
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We’re 14 weeks into our series of praying for our homeschools – I’m so thankful you are joining me! You can learn more about the series here. We’ll pray about a new area of our homeschool journey each week and dig into God’s Word with daily devotional reflections. Find this week’s free printable at the end of this post.
What comes to mind when you think about discipline? Do you have a specific strategy when it comes to disciplining your kids? An overall desired outcome that you use to guide your actions in teaching and training?
As homeschooling moms, we are going to be privy to many opportunities to discipline our kids! We are with our kids often around the clock; we are going to see them mess up, make bad choices, show reluctance to do school work, fight with their siblings, and much more.
While everyone has their own opinions and strategies for discipline, I wanted to share my thoughts and what I’ve learned over the few years we’ve been homeschooling. Maybe it will encourage you, and even help you look forward to the opportunities we get to point our kids to Jesus.
Lesson 1: Discipline is harder when you’re stressed.
No brainer, right? I can’t be the only one who has lost my temper at my kids out of anger, simply because I’m feeling stressed and overwhelmed in the moment. When this happens, it unfortunately does not accomplish the goals I have for discipling my kids – which ultimately, is to point them to Christ.
We want our kids to desire to obey God above all else, which in turn, means they will honor and obey us. But how will they see Christ if we are constantly lashing out because of the lack of our own self-control?
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
I know it’s easier said than done, but take time to evaluate what is really going on if you find yourself constantly stressed and overwhelmed. Pray for the fruit of the Holy Spirit in your life, that you will show patience with your kids.
[My best sanity-saving tips for homeschool moms – click here!]
Make time for rest, for reading and studying God’s Word. Set up systems for your home and homeschool that will help everything run smoothly (routines will also help your kids know what to expect each day and help you train them in obedience!).
Overall, ground yourself in what is truly important daily to help you stay sane and remember your discipline goals in the first place.
Lesson 2: Discipline is a gift.
You know what really changed my mindset about discipline? When I realized that discipline is an opportunity given to me by God, and I started to see each opportunity as a gift.
What a merciful Father we have, that allows us to see our children’s sin so that we have the chance to point them to Him! I would much rather help my kids learn from me than from the world; I would much rather them make a mistake in my home so I can correct them, rather than have them fail miserably and not know where to turn when they are on their own someday.
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Whenever I start to feel frustrated or discouraged because my child has sinned (which they are all going to do…often), I try to remember to praise God for revealing that sin to me, then ask Him to help me make the most of this training opportunity.
Lesson 3: Discipline is a heart-fixer.
For many, discipline often equates to punishment. But did you know that the word actually comes from the Latin word “disciplina” which means “to teach, guide, and instruct”?
In Mark 7:21-22, Jesus tells us, “For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come – sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.” And God’s Word also tells us that we are sinful at birth (Psalm 51:5). We clearly know that our kids are going to sin, and we are told that those sinful actions reveal what’s truly in their hearts.
When an opportunity for discipline presents itself, we can teach, guide, and instruct our kids in ways that will get to the root of their heart issues.
So how do we best fix these “heart issues” and point them to Christ in their disobedience? One of my absolute favorite resources for this type of training is the book “I Can’t Believe You Just Said That!” by Ginger Hubbard. If you haven’t read it, put it on your Amazon wish-list today!
In this book, Ginger encourages moms that we can fix heart issues by using God’s Word; and she outlines very specific issues and steps (with scripts!) for how to do this.
Whether your child’s disobedience is homeschool-related or character-related, we can use God’s Word to steer them in the right direction and help change their hearts.
Lesson 4: Discipline is often inconvenient.
If you are anything like me, you feel that you are constantly busy (let’s refer back to Lesson 1, shall we?). Because of this, taking the time to discipline our kids often feels very inconvenient for us…if we want to do it properly.
It’s one thing just to yell across the house for your kids to stop doing something they shouldn’t be doing. It’s a whole other process to actually take the time to go to them, calmly figure out what is behind the disobedience, then reprove and train them.
Don’t be fooled, sweet friend. It can be very tempting to “ignore” small occurrences of disobedience because it is inconvenient, or because we think it doesn’t really matter. Don’t give the enemy that foothold.
We need to be attentive and intentional in our parenting. Take the extra few minutes to work on those heart issues we talked about above, and pray that God will give you the strength and patience to not grow weary or exasperated.
Lesson 5: Discipline is not about us, mamas.
Finally, I don’t know about you, but I can sometimes get caught up in the moment when my kids disobey; I might feel upset (how dare they treat me that way!) and feel like I need to be justified in making sure they “learn their lesson”.
We have to remember that ultimately, when our kids sin, they are sinning against God. It’s not just about us, or how we have been wronged by our kids. When we think like that, we miss the big picture entirely.
Jesus died for your sins, and He died for the sins of your children too. Our job as parents is to show them how those sins go against God’s will, and teach them how to repent and turn the other way.
Discipline should never be done out of anger or spite. It should be done in a way that we end up pointing our kids to Christ, not us or our desired outcome.
We want our children to learn to love and obey God, not only when they are under our roof, but when they are out on their own someday.
Discipline is a necessary part of parenting. We won’t always do a perfect job, but we have a perfect God who is with us every step of the way. Let’s pray this week for His guidance in disciplining our kids in our homeschool, and study a bit about what the Bible has to say about discipline.
Prayer for This Week
Heavenly Father,
You are good, loving, and perfect. Thank you for my children, and the privilege you have given me to teach, train, and guide them in their lives.
Help me to teach them obedience and discernment in their actions. Give them hearts that have the desire to obey You above all else. And on days that I’m overwhelmed, help me parent patiently with grace and love, finding peace in knowing You are ultimately in control.
If there is any sin in my kids’ lives that has gone un-noticed by me, please reveal it. Show me how to help them overcome, and allow your Holy Spirit to work in their lives.
I need your wisdom and guidance to handle disobedience in our homeschool. Thank you for every opportunity to point my kids to You in love; may I never take it for granted.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Join the Challenge
Finally, if you want to join in on the challenge from the very beginning, make sure to sign up below, and you’ll receive a printable prayer and journal pages each week, right to your inbox. Join in any time, and you’ll start the following Monday with Week #1!
Simply click below, follow the instructions, and you’re in.
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I’d love to hear from you in the comments below: do you have any tips in approaching discipline in your homeschool? What have you learned that might help someone else?
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