March 2020 truly changed the lives of everyone in the world as the massive pandemic known as COVID-19 hit all of the countries around the world; however, the world began to change for our family just the month before as I made the decision to homeschool two of our four girls. What was once a pull and definitive encouragement from the Lord became a reality as I finally decided to say, "yes" to the call.
"The problem with saying, "yes" to one thing,"
I've always cautioned my girls,
"is that you have to say "no" to another."
This can be seen in so many decisions we make every day. The "yes" we say to a night out is a "no" to our kid's soccer practice. The "yes" we say to a new sport is the "no" we say to nightly family dinners.
In this "yes" I said to homeschooling, I felt like I told my writing, "no," when in all actuality it was just about getting a grasp on this new venture. I've taken the last year to wrestle, change, pray, and better grasp the glorious ministry of teaching our children. My writing, during this time, has taken a time-out on the back burner. In fact, you might say, the freezer. Over the last year, homeschooling has become more natural as I have grasped the way our children need to be taught, what subjects each one may need more assistance in, and how much time each one will take.
As I have taken a step back to assess our progress, I began to feel God's urging to take up writing again. This is where I began to hesitate. Was I good enough? Do I really have something to say? Will I have time? What is my purpose? How will I juggle all the things I am already doing while also writing? But, it wasn't up to me to work out all the details. God called me to do something. God called me and calls us to "GO." My problem was my failure to launch back into what He called me to do. Six months later, I finally said "yes" and what a relief it is to be back at the computer typing away. What a relief it is to communicate to you what I have walked through in the last year. Because I know just like me, you may be in a place where you are failing to launch, failing to say "yes," failing because of fear and questions and uncertainty. But fear is not meant to define us. Fear is not meant to succeed.
So whatever it is that you have felt called to do, are passionate about, or want to step into, say "yes!" Sure, you may need to say "no" to something else in your life. For me, it was folding my children's laundry. Yep, you read that right. My kids drawers may not look the best anymore; but no one is opening them anyway. And that may be what you need to do. Allow someone to do something else in order to pursue that passion. Say "yes," you will certainly feel more joy and excitement when you do.
