What does a beehive have to do with home education?
I can’t remember when I first became interesting in beekeeping. I’m sure it was at least 2 kids ago. Maybe after my first taste of Moldovan honey. I’ve read books on bees, listened to podcasts about bees, taken beekeeping classes online, taught kids about bees, enjoyed my share of honey, propolis, and beeswax but I have YET to have my first real-life beekeeping experience. Currently we live on a property that offers about 75 acres of backyard- an ideal setting for my future hives. Except that in a few months we will be moving overseas where backyards are called “gardens” perhaps due to the fact that not much more can be done in them. Urban beekeeping?
Whether or not my beekeeping dream becomes a reality, I feel like our family itself runs a bit like a hive of sorts. If you know anything about the various roles of bees in a hive, you understand that basically everyone’s job is to, in some way, support the queen. And so it is in our home.
No, not really. Admittedly, there are many days that I probably make my 5 children (and maybe my husband) feel like their sole purpose in life is to make their queen bee happy. But my true desire is for all of us to be fully satisfied in making God alone happy; to live in a way in which we are consistently storing up our treasure in heaven instead of here on earth. Not in order that I would somehow earn God’s favor, but because he has already extended me grace, transformed my life, and given me a living hope. He has drawn me into his story and given meaning to my story.
There are so many distractions in this world aiming to pull our families apart. In the Bible, there is a passage where Jesus was teaching a group of religious leaders. He said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Can’t you feel it sometimes? That life is being stolen from you? This is why it is so important to fight for God’s best for our families. We have the promise of a satisfied life in Christ, but we must fight against the thief of this world.
I’ve identified 6 key areas in the life of our family that will be a plumb line for us to measure whether we are thriving or dying. All of my attempts will be in vain, though, if my motivation is not pure. If my goal is to put my righteousness on display before others in order to impress them, then I will not ever be satisfied (Matthew 6:1). If I put my faith and trust in these categories alone as some sort of magic formula or checklist for the guaranteed success of my children, then I am setting us all up for utter disappointment. But, if I am striving to infuse these elements into our home to better love God and love others, then I think they will be effective tools in drawing us closer to Jesus and, through him, a more abundant life.
- Cultivating community in and out of our home
- Nurturing Curiosity
- Developing a sense of wonder
- Practicing wise stewardship
- Striving towards simplicity
- Thriving through pain
This blog unpacks each of the above areas specifically in the context of home education, but also more broadly . Hopefully thoughts will be sparked, dialogue will develop, action will be taken, and all of our families will grow because of it.