I was discussing abandoned projects and lagging schedules with a friend, one day, when the question came up: Why do we start things that we think we will finish, and then not finish them?
Well?
Why do we?
I assuredly offered a quick-fix list of answers and then several days later, I had one of those “uh-oh” moments.
I saw how well these answers applied to me and my own projects.
It then occurred to me that these answers fit many occasions, and might explain to you why you have given up, or why you feel like quitting on home schooling.
I hope it also will help you to keep on keeping on.
The first reason in my pat answer was that we lose the vision. The Word of God tells us that we perish for lack of a vision (Proverbs 29:18). That is so sad because it is so unnecessary: God can give vision to His people, and wants to do so all the time.
What does it mean to lose the vision?
An example I often think of is what the old-timers used to call a “sour-grapes” attitude. This refers to Aesop’s fable about the fox and the grapes. Basically, when the lazy fox was unable to obtain some grapes that it wanted to eat without expending some effort, it decided that the grapes must be sour, after all.
Some people do that. For instance, they tell everyone, including their children, that God has called them to homeschool. Of course, their homeschool friends are excited for them and their children are filled with nearly uncontainable excitement.
As they investigate how to carry out this calling, though, they encounter some difficulty or other, and immediately decide that God had not called them, after all.
They tell their friends to quit harassing them (their term for what we intended as shared joy) about the issue.
They tell their children to learn to think of the public schools as their friend.
So much for God’s call.
The same problem can come when we envision a beautifully harmonious setting for our home school and then realize that we are working with unskilled, unharmonious human beings.
How easily we decide that loud and wacky is wonderful!
It is “just the way we are”; forget that vision of quietness and peace, of tidy readiness. Lower the standard!
The vision has evaporated and folks will just have to accept us the way we are.
Home schoolers have rights, too, you know…
Sound familiar?
Part 2 tomorrow!
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photo credit: Wikipedia
Home's Cool! 
I am looking forward to the next part of this one. We ALL suffer from the quits or the lazies at times. Your wisdom on this is going to be REALLY welcomed, my twin!
I am so sorry it seems we must be twins on this topic, too! 😉 More on the way right now! 🙂