Our homeschool journey began with a simple desire: to teach our children God’s Word and the academics they would need for life.

At that time, we had four school-age children and a toddler (eventually, nine!). I prayed, set up a schoolroom, chose our curriculum, and created a detailed schedule. We were ready.

Our classroom looked much like a traditional school: neat rows of desks, shelves lined with textbooks, lesson plans carefully written, and even an American flag in the corner. Each child had separate books for Bible, math, history, science, spelling, and English. I enforced rules—no talking unless hands were raised—and we went about “doing school.”

Obstacles on the Road

But before long, I realized something was missing. Though lessons were being completed, I was drained. My evenings vanished into planning six subjects across four grade levels. The joy was gone, replaced by fatigue and frustration. I was grading papers more than shaping hearts.

When a mother grows weary, everything looks bigger than it is—one math mistake feels like failure, a misspelled word feels like disaster. I began tightening control instead of loosening my grip. We were “doing school,” but I was losing the very heart of it.

Taking a Detour

It became clear I needed a change. I replaced our textbook routine with a unit study approach, combining Bible, history, and science so we could learn together. Planning time shrank, conversation blossomed, and joy returned. The children were engaged, curious, and thriving.

To ensure we met state standards, I studied achievement tests and benchmarks—work that led to my first book, What Your Child Needs to Know When. It became a bestseller in the homeschool world, yet even as I shared it, God was whispering: “Don’t lose sight of Me.”

Finding the Right Map

I suddenly realized that although my children were excelling academically, we had quietly replaced Bible time with academics. Christian textbooks weren’t enough; our home had lost its daily communion with God’s Word.

At homeschool conferences, I heard the same anxiety from parents everywhere: “How do I know if I’m doing enough?” We were all measuring our success by state standards instead of heavenly ones. I knew then—we had the wrong map.

God’s Word is our true map, the living guide that corrects our course. Without it, even good intentions lead us astray.

One Needful Thing

The story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:40–42) became my turning point. Martha worked hard, but Mary sat at Jesus’ feet. Jesus gently told Martha that “one thing is needful.”

Martha’s work wasn’t wrong; her focus was. Our homeschool focus had drifted toward performance instead of presence. Academics are valuable tools, but only if they sharpen our focus on Christ. When they begin to cloud our vision, they become the “cares of this life” that Jesus warned about.