Stewardship

The boys finished school today. I posted this on facebook, but I was so relieved with their report cards. They did very well both on their report cards and their standardized tests. My first reaction is just to be thankful that they have been listening and learning these last few years at home. It's such an enormous responsibility being Mom and teacher. And since there are no other students the same age for comparison, there's no way to really know how they are doing. But now I am beginning to see that they seem to have a giftedness for learning. I truly believe that any gift from God whether artistic, working with one's hands, relational, having a heart for a certain age group, leadership, etc. is of equal value to the Lord and to His people (and a broken world!). But for my boys, I think academics comes fairly easily. I am praying about how to be a good steward of their curiosity and book smarts. It's a big responsibility to nurture a child in such a way that they are encouraged to handle their God-given gifts with care and humility (cause we all tend towards laziness/pride). I am praying for wisdom and insight in this area now and for the future. And I am enjoying their hard work and success.

Speaking of stewardship, I have been trying to take care of the sunflowers that our friends planted on their spring break. My neighbor and I went to the garden to check them and I squealed with delight. She jumped because she thought I saw a snake. Instead, I was overjoyed to see our first blooms. There are many varieties of sunflowers, some short and some tall. I am amazed at how much a plant can change in just 8 short weeks. From a tiny seed in mid-March, to this size in mid-May:

Unbelievable display of God's beauty and power!