"Kid College"

It is summer time!! Love it! To me, summer has always meant staying up late, sleeping in, swimming, hanging out with friends, vacation, baseball games, little to no responsibility, and most of all trying to forget and stay as far away from school as possible!! So, since I am now an adult and cannot follow my own expectations of summer I have tried to allow my kiddos to enjoy summer the way I did. But, this summer is slightly different.....

If you have read my prior posts "Joshua" and "Hunter" you know that this school year was very difficult academically. Both of my boys have had real struggles making the expected progress for their grade levels. So, as we were praying for God to give us direction in how to help our boys succeed we were given the opportunity to send them to a Special Needs summer reading program at Eastern Illinois University. The program is from 9am to 12pm Monday thru Thursday for the month of July. Feeling that this was a complete answer to prayer we signed all three of our school age children up for it.

We talked to the kids about it when we signed them up, calling it "Kid College". They were still in school at the time and had not had a taste of freedom (from school) yet. So, they were actually quite cooperative and excited. At the time we were signing them up a part of me felt guilty, like I was taking their summer away.....robbing them of something....But, I knew that with all the best intentions in the world I would not be able to give them the extra help they needed with reading.

Last night we were at the pool and one of their friends was asking about planning a sleepover. I said, "Well the kids have to get up in the morning for summer school." That was it!! The switch was flipped and the excitement for "Kid College" was suddenly replaced with dread and despair!! For the following 14 hours I heard nothing but complaining....."Mom I don't want to go!" "You are taking our summer from us!" "WHY are YOU doing this to US???" Jason said, "They act like we are sending them in front of the firing squad!" I so badly wanted to fold....let them stay home...have sleep overs and sleep in. But, I knew that we had made this decision with THEIR best interest in mind!

As the kids were complaining to me, asking me why I had done this to them, and digging their heels in each step of the way, I could not help but think of times in my life when God had made plans for me with my best interest in mind and I was the one digging my heels in and complaining. One instance in particular was moving away from our families.

For several years my husband had talked about moving, going to seminary somewhere far away, or looking for a church position away from our hometown. And for years I dug my heels in. I would say things like, "You can go ahead and go away to seminary, Josh and I are staying here." or "My kids are graduating in Blue and White!!" (Our hometown school colors) The last thing I wanted to do was move my kids away from their grandparents and extended family. God had other plans.......

Fast forward several years and we are now settled in to a new "hometown" 3 hours away from our families. At the time it seemed so scary and unfair that God would ask such a thing of us. To move away from all we had ever known....way outside our comfort zone. He (God) had asked me to do the one thing I had said for years that I did NOT want to do. But, if you asked me today if I would do it all over again I would say "ABSOLUTELY!!" I would not trade it for the world now! In moving away from our hometown I feel we have the room to be who God created us to be. Don't get me wrong...it has been hard and I miss our family terribly! But, I know that God has used it to grow me in ways that would not have been possible if we had not followed the plans He had for us.

The next time I start to dig my heels in against the plans God has for me I hope to remember that He has my best interest in mind just as I have my kids' best interest in mind. There is a scripture that reminds me of this. I have it engraved on the front of my Bible.....

"For I know the plans I have for you', declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

By the way, the kids LOVED "Kids College" and cannot wait to go back tomorrow! Jake wishes he could go too!