I've been ordering the curriculum for Gracie's homeschool. In looking at the different subjects she will take, I noticed the history portion. It brought back memories of learning about the pioneers and settlers when I was in school. A pioneer is someone who ventures into unclaimed or unknown territory; they prepare the way for others.
Before the Civil War, there was alot of pioneering going on. People were told to "go west" with stories of gold in the hills and unclaimed land. These stories kept people moving forward. But they had to load their families in wagons with everything they owned to do it. Their horses and mules pulled the covered wagons. But they had to know what to take with them and what to leave behind. Only necessary things were allowed. Many times the trails were littered with things people had to leave behind in order to make it across the deserts or over the mountains. They had to keep moving. The pioneers had an expectation about what was ahead.
I believe God is looking for pioneers--people who won't settle for less than God's best. When you have a spirit of faith, you aren't afraid to leave things behind. We hold on to things that weigh us down and hold us back from making it over the next mountain. Its hard to put away some treasured item or some way of thinking, but the rewards of obeying God keep us moving.
Hebrews 11:27 says, "By faith, Moses forsook Egypt." But Moses did it by faith. In Genesis 11:31, we read how Abraham overcame Ur of the Chaldees when he was 75 years old! It takes faith to follow and faith to forget the past.
It takes faith to forsake the ways of this world and walk in the ways of God. It takes faith to walk away from the pleasures and temptations of this world. If you keep looking back, you can't go forward.
Think of yourself as a spiritual pioneer. Have great expetations for what God has in store for you!
6 comments:
Welcome back! I always enjoy reading what the Lord puts on your heart! Thanks for sharing!
Perfect timing for what is needed in starting this week off with
There are many metaphors for life: a contest; a war; a game; a race; a battle; a trap; a puzzle. Kids are often taught in school that the first Thanksgiving occurred when the Pilgrims met the Indians. But when Joseph brought his father, Jacob, to meet the Pharaoh of Egypt, Jacob explained that he saw life as a pilgrimage. “And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.” (Genesis 47:9)
Christians truly are pilgrims in this life, for our ultimate home is not in this world. We are just passing through it on our way to our real home in Heaven. Vagabonds have no home. Fugitives are running away from home. Strangers are visiting someone else’s home. Pilgrims are on their way home.
I am so glad to see that you are homeschooling! I homeschooled both of my kids, and it was a joy.
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