Looking Inward

Change: whether you love it or hate it, change is inevitable.

Sometimes change is good! We see a radiant metamorphosis, or new growth, fruit, and reap a bountiful harvest. Other times change is detrimental. There is withering, decay, or destruction.

Recently our family helped remove a tree. It was large, and its limbs were loaded with thick green leaves. From the outside, the tree appeared to be strong and healthy. It even stood above many of the other trees around it. But when we cut it down, we were shocked to find that this beautiful tree was almost completely hollow. It had been devoured by termites from within.

This was such a great visual representation and reminder of how everyday habits, left unchecked, can rapidly take out decades of growth. Things that took years to build may still appear normal on the outside, but if we look deeper, we will see that we are actually deteriorating because of an attack from within.

In the homeschool classroom, these problems often look something like this:

• a lack of consideration for routines or schedules (internal) manifests as goofing off or acting rowdy (external),
• a lack of respect toward others (inward) manifests as yelling, whining, or complaining (outward,)
• a lack of attention to our studies (inward) manifests as apathy, laziness, or avoidance (outward.)

As we come into summer and school slows down for a bit, now is a great time to step back and assess if any unwanted habits have crept into our homes. Talk to your children. Ask hard questions. Be honest with your kids about how you are working on your bad habits. Together, families can reshape habits, eliminate the elements that are hindering our growth, and begin flourishing where we were feeble.