LivingJamie

Finn kept ignoring me and playing with Legos while I was trying to start school. I asked several times, and eventually, I gave up.

I felt defeated. Overwhelmed. Angry. Like I was failing.

My emotions took over, and I started thinking, “What’s the point of putting myself through this every week?”

That’s a hard thought to admit when homeschooling matters so much to you. Discipling my kids is my number one priority, and I’m still figuring out how to do that in the middle of real life. Including the days when I can’t even get school started.

After that hard day, I spent time thinking through Elijah’s story in 1 Kings 19:1–18. If you’ve been feeling like you’re failing at homeschooling, I want to share what stood out to me. And this is the thought I want to hold onto:

A hard homeschool day is not a verdict on the whole homeschool.

Elijah under the juniper tree

In the previous chapter, Elijah had seen God answer with fire on Mount Carmel. The people acknowledged the Lord as God, and rain returned after the drought. Then Jezebel threatened Elijah’s life, and he fled. Those events belong together: seeing God work powerfully did not mean Elijah would never feel afraid or overwhelmed afterward. Read 1 Kings 18–19, KJV.

In the wilderness, Elijah sat under what the KJV calls a “juniper tree.” His despair was severe: he asked God to take his life. This was much more than an ordinary frustrating day, and I want to be careful with that.

What stood out to me was how God cared for him there.

Elijah slept. An angel touched him and told him to eat. There was food and water beside him. He ate, drank, and lay down again. The angel came a second time and said:

“Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.”

— 1 Kings 19:7, KJV, excerpt. “Thee” means “you.” Read the passage.

At that point in the story, the response we see is practical care. God didn’t begin by scolding him under the tree.

I find that comforting when I think about the defeated, overwhelmed place I was in.

God’s care continued beyond the tree

The story doesn’t end with a meal and a nap.

After that provision, Elijah traveled forty days and nights to Horeb. There, God questioned him, and Elijah described his distress and his belief that he was the only one left. The passage describes wind, an earthquake, fire, and then a “still small voice.” God gave Elijah further instructions, named Elisha as his successor, and told him that seven thousand in Israel had not bowed to Baal. Read 1 Kings 19:8–18, KJV.

God’s care included food and rest, and it also included truth and direction.

My homeschool day and Elijah’s circumstances are very different. This passage doesn’t promise that a break will make my child cooperate, or that every difficult feeling will disappear after I eat something.

But as a personal application, it gives me room to pause and consider what I need before making a sweeping decision about our homeschool. It also reminds me that what I can see while I’m overwhelmed may not be the whole picture.

A hard homeschool day is not a verdict on the whole homeschool

I gave up trying to start school that day. That happened. But deciding there was no point in putting myself through homeschooling every week was a much bigger conclusion.

There’s room between those two things to stop and look honestly at the day.

Something may need to change. We may need a clearer way to move from playtime into school. My response may need attention, too.

I can take those things seriously without treating that one moment as the whole story of our homeschool.

And if the same struggle keeps happening, it deserves more than another round of telling myself to try harder. I can ask for help thinking through our routine and my child’s needs. Taking a problem seriously can be part of caring well for my kids.

What to try when a homeschool day falls apart

When I think about that day alongside 1 Kings 19, these are the next steps I want to keep in mind.

Pause before deciding the future. The care Elijah received under the tree reminds me to pay attention to ordinary needs. A little rest, food, or water may be needed before I try to think through a hard day. That pause doesn’t settle the bigger questions, but I don’t have to settle them in the middle of my frustration.

Bring God the truth, including my own response. I can tell Him I’m angry and discouraged and ask for help. If I have acted hurtfully, I need to repent and apologize without making my child responsible for my behavior. Discipling my kids includes taking responsibility for how I treat them, even when school hasn’t started.

Choose one practical next step. For the difficulty I described, that might mean planning a clearer transition from Legos to school: a brief warning, a place to leave the creation, and one lesson to begin with. That’s something to consider, not a change I’m claiming we made or a promise that it will solve everything.

You can begin with the day in front of you

I don’t have a neat ending to add to this story. I gave up that day, and thinking through Elijah’s story doesn’t erase that.

But the care God gave him leaves me with room for hope. Room to receive care, take responsibility, and ask for help. Room to keep learning how to disciple my children in the middle of real life.

A hard homeschool day is not a verdict on the whole homeschool.

If today has been hard, what is one small next step you can take—rest, prayer, a needed apology, or asking someone for help? You’re welcome to share your own experience in the comments while keeping your children’s private details private.