Spiritual Rhythms for a Super Simple Homeschool

Welcome to the super simple homeschool podcast where we help you find purpose in your homeschool while keeping it super simple. I’m your host, Jenny Hedrick, homeschool mom of 3 and mental health therapist of 20 years. Today we are going to talk about Rhythms of a Super Simple Homeschool. This is part 3 of a series. In Part 1 we talked about some practical rhythms for your homeschooling day. In part 2 we laid the foundation for the spiritual rhythms we are going to talk about today.

Spiritual Rhythms

Slowing is the spiritual practice that makes it possible to implement the different spiritual rhythms that make for a super simple homeschool.

We did actually cover two of the spiritual rhythms in our home episodes 5 and 6.

In episode 5 we talked about self care through the spiritual rhythm of solitude. Solitude is another foundational practice that allows for time in prayer and reading God’s word. Creating a rhythm of quiet solitude allows for the surrender that is necessary to let go of the need to do more, while staying open to what God has for you on any given day.

In episode 6, Eryn Lynum shared about rhythms of rest, specifically in a weekly sabbath. This pattern of rest allows us to fully embrace the life that God has designed for us. One that relies on His provision and the peace that comes from abiding in Him

Today, we are going to talk about 3 more spiritual rhythms, Connection, Celebration and Creation. I’ll explain why we prioritize these things and give examples of how they are woven into our daily homeschool life.

My journey to these rhythms

About a year ago, I decided to join a local homeschool hiking group. I was nervous, because although I had been an avid hiker as a young adult, the early years of parenting littles had left me out of practice, and out of shape. Thankfully, the group was composed of families with all age children, and the hikes were easy and relaxed.

Every time, on the night before the hike, I would hem and haw about going. I was too tired, the week was too busy, and I just wanted time at home to get things done. See how my busyness had left me without enough margin for the important things? And yet, I would determine to go, and without fail, I would be so glad that I did.

It was through these hikes that I found connection with other moms, enjoyed watching my kids explore, and began to see the world through a different lens.

This eventually turned into my family spending more time outdoors, taking on new hobbies like birding and putting in a native pollinator garden.

The one small choice to join a hiking group set me on a course to discover the importance of the spiritual rhythms I am sharing with you today.

Connection

The first spiritual rhythm is connection. It’s important to make time for relationships. First and foremost within the family unit and then outside of the home.

The Bible is full of examples that show the importance of family relationships- first the biological family and then the spiritual family. Two of the 10 commandments deal with maintaining the health of the family– the fifth commandment honors the God-given authority of parents, and the seventh protects the sanctity of marriage. In the New Testament, Jesus warns against frivolous divorce in Matthew 19 and the apostle Paul addresses the roles of family members in Ephesians 5.

In Matthew 12:46-50, Jesus makes it clear that in the Kingdom of heaven, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. This is our spiritual family, and Jesus indicates that these relationships are crucial to the Kingdom of Heaven. We see this point even more clearly in John 13:35 when Jesus says “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

So what does this look like as a rhythm in our family? First, we prioritize dinner together at home. When my husband worked in the oil field for 2 years this became difficult and its importance was even more apparent. We did our best to adjust to his schedule, having dinner together as often as we could. Now that he is back to a normal work schedule we have seen the immense benefits of this rhythm. This is the time of the day when we all stop our activities, slow down and enjoy each other’s company over a good meal. We also enjoy making time for meals with grandparents and aunts, uncles and cousins.

Next, we make time for friends. I stopped seeing this as an add-on activity in the last year as I started to realize all the important lessons my children were learning by being around their close friends. I’ve also experienced how iron sharpens iron within my own friendships.

To make time for friends, we plan for regular meet-ups at the park, hikes together, and we regularly have dinners together. In our homeschool, we prioritize our Christian enrichment program, which meets for one afternoon a week. I’ve made a point to get to know other parents in the program and that has been the catalyst to forming many family friendships.

As homeschool families, these relationships lift us up when things are hard, comfort us when the way is lonely, and celebrate with us when things are going well.

Celebration

This brings me to the next spiritual rhythm of celebration. This often overlooked practice is one that you may already do, but let’s define it and give it some legs.

If you read through Levitical law, sounds like a good time, doesn’t it? As you see how God lays out the government for Israel in the wilderness, it is peppered with opportunities to celebrate and remember God’s goodness and provision for them.

The 7 Jewish feasts, practiced every year by the Israelites, actually tell the story of the redemption of the world through Jesus Christ. For more on this, check out THIS ARTICLE.

Celebrations were woven into the government of God’s people. They were and are a time to remember God’s goodness and to practice gratitude for all that he has done for us. Studies in psychology show that taking time for gratitude and remembering positive experiences actually changes our brain and how we feel about ourselves and the world around us. It’s a biological fact that worry and gratitude cannot exist in our mind at the same time. It’s no wonder that the God who created our brains built a practice of gratitude and celebration into his covenantal law with His people.

So celebrate and practice gratitude! Here are some ways we are make celebration a part of our family rhythm.

Holidays. This is the easy one, right? We really go all out for holidays, especially Christmas. Don’t get bogged down with questions of “should Christians have trees or give presents.” DO be sure that your children know WHY we celebrate the holidays and take time to remember all that God has done for you and your family.
Create memories. I don’t mean go out and do all kinds of awesome things so that your kids have lots of good memories. Sure, do that, but record the everyday moments too. Take pictures and put them in a picture book. I use an app called 1 Second Everyday that helps me put together short compilation videos each month. When the video is finished, we sit down and have a family watch party. We’ve been doing it for almost 5 years now and it’s so fun to watch our monthly videos as a family and remember all the big and small things we’ve done. This does wonders for the brain- creating positive connections and celebrating memories of even simple, everyday moments.
Practice gratitude daily. At dinner or bedtime, ask your kids what they are grateful for. When you pray, lead with gratitude, thanking God for all He provides. If you need help with this, find a game that gives gratitude prompts. We use something called the GratiCUBE on occasion after SABBATH dinner.
Sabbath is also a specific celebration. The word sabbath means to STOP and to DELIGHT. A weekly sabbath allows for you to delight in and celebrate all that God has given you.

Creation

The last spiritual rhythm that I am going to talk about is time in creation. More and more, I’ve seen how time in nature is absolutely essential for the physical and spiritual health of my family.

Have you noticed how time outdoors can uplift your mood and provide a reset for you or your kids? We were, after all, created IN a garden. Scripture points to the glory of God in all creation.

Consider Job 12:7-10 which says “Ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.”

Nature is a classroom in which we learn the truth about God. Romans 1:20 says “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–His eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”

When we spend time in creation, we get to know the Creator God. Exposure to nature brings peace and order to our otherwise chaotic lives. When you take time to observe the natural world around you, you will notice a whole other world– full of birds, bugs, and other creatures that God designed and gave as a gift to us!

Creation for Mental Health

I’ve recently been studying the effects of nature on mental health. There are many studies now that show that exposure to nature has long-term positive effects on our physical and emotional health. The biophilia hypothesis states that humans are drawn to nature, presumably because of nature’s role in the evolutionary process. Scientists are finding that time in natural environments improves brain development in children and cognitive function in adults. They are seeing positive outcomes for anxiety and depression as time in nature has been shown to decrease ruminating thoughts, a common symptom of both disorders.

While I wholeheartedly disagree with their assessment as to WHY nature has this effect, because of some innate connection to nature due to evolution, I am not surprised by the findings of these studies.

After all, Psalm 8 shows us a picture of how a right view of nature can shift our perspective. David exclaims “when I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?”

When we experience the beauty and complexity of nature, recognize the Creator God and our place in the world, the response is humble gratitude. That shift in perspective brings the peace that surpasses all understanding, possible only through the Holy Spirit.

Creation and Absolute Truth

Time spent in creation also teaches our children that there are absolute truths in the world. In a culture of relativism, that teaches our kids that there is “your truth” and “my truth” but no absolute Truth, nature tells a different story.

In the book, Rooted in Wonder, author Eryn Lynum puts it this way:

“Observing the absolutes of nature, our kids reconnect the dots from creation to Creator. Then, they take it one step further, tracing this concept back to their own makeup. If God so finely tuned nature, he has also designed life-giving boundaries for our lives. He has a plan and purpose. As our kids learn to see and state a thing as it is, black and white lines form in their minds. Boundary lines act as guardrails and map markers, leading to the abundant life God has for us, just as he designed nature to flourish. God’s ways liberate us from confusion and bring clarity, peace, and joy”.

So how does this look as a rhythm in our homeschool? I stopped viewing time outside as an add-on, and put it in a place of priority for my family.

Daily, we get outside and listen to the birds, we take walks in the natural area by our home, or we play in the creek that flows through our backyard.

Weekly, we enjoy nature hikes with a local homeschool hiking group, we go fishing as a family, or we visit a natural area and explore.

This year we decided to participate in the 1000 hours outside challenge, as a way to remind us to spend more time in God’s creation than we do on our electronic devices. We are 5 months in and I’ve seen the tremendous benefits this has provided, not only for my kids, but for me as well.

So get out and explore creation as a family! When you are having a rough day and need a reset, go play outside. As you make this a priority for your family, you are sure to see the benefits.

This concludes our series on Rhythms of a Super Simple Homeschool. Thank you for listening to the podcast! If you enjoyed this episode, would you consider helping spread the word by sharing with a friend or leaving a review? Don’t forget to follow or subscribe so you never miss a future episode.