Colored Canvas & A Joyful Bank Account

As a homeschool family, there are a lot of kinks to work through.... regularly. I believe we figure some out, and as the children grow, new ones pop up. The short attention span of a 4 or 5 year old grows into learning how to work through the struggle of a difficult attitude when that child is older.  While I know that God is working on their hearts while we teach them truth from the Word of God, and I beg Him to give us wisdom in our training along the way, we still have to wade through some things and be patient as that work is being done!

We have been struggling on and off here with different issues.  I know God desires to do a TRUE work in the heart of each of my children. I know He is teaching my children what it looks like to walk in His statutes one step at a time, and in every detail of their lives. I trust Him to be doing these things! 

On occasion, I feel He gives me a concrete way to help this work being done in their hearts. One thing we have done is individual paintings based on the verse, "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus."  We talked about how our lives are sort of like a canvas where God continues to make us more beautiful as we grow in sanctification.

Hobby Lobby had canvasses on sale, so I picked some up.  I asked the kids to assign colors to a certain area of their lives where they see God working on in them (or needing to!) For example, yellow may represent obeying the first time. Red, being patient, etc.  Then, when they recognize God working in their hearts in a certain area, they can go and add that color to their painting. It's given them a concrete way to see what areas of their lives God is working on.

Lately, I have constantly found myself repenting of my own attitude and lack of joy as I walk through my day. My own canvas had much of the same color on it -- RED, demonstrating that God was working on me living with a joyful countenance throughout my day. The Lord showed me I was reacting to and being fearful of the difficulties of parenting instead of trusting Him to walk me through them, which was zapping all my joy. 

It dawned on me that our family has a bank account -- not one with money, but something so much more precious. In this account is joy, peace, fun, laughter, kindness, etc. When a child makes a poor choice, instead of letting it rob from our bank account (& me feel like a failure as a parent --> zapping my joy!) the Lord showed me that the child is responsible for the theft taking place. So, every time something is said or done that stole from our family bank account, that child (or me if I did the stealing!) is responsible to make the wrong right to that person by doing an encouraging thing specifically to the person they hurt or wronged.  If a child is slow to obey, which always causes frustration, there are consequences. They need to put something back into the family bank account by doing an extra chore or something that will bless the family.

The verse we have been focusing on is Romans 14:19. 

"Let us PURSUE the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another."