Being a home schooling mum I know what it is to have days where I am faced with my inadequacies, fears and doubts on a continual basis.
Questions like, “Who am I, what on earth do I have to offer, what are my strengths, how and where do I operate best, and how do I want my children to imitate me are regularly asked. That may sound exhausting, but in actual fact I have come to understand that these questions and the need for reflection as to who I am, how I am living and what I am spending my life doing are in l fact very healthy for continual growth as a person.
In these reflections I have discovered a Greek word Schole, which is where we get the English word school from. It means restful learning or leisure, which is in sharp contrast to our modern education system and the mindset of productive work category, which leads us to predominantly emphasize results, production, and checklists.
Unfortunately it seems that production, results and a constant “work” mentality doesn’t end with school as how often do we as adults fail to see the value in leisure, rest, in doing something for the joy of it, of taking to find what interest us and what we are good at and enjoy doing?
Instead we can become driven, have no idea what we like doing for fun, and leisure and personal discovery are for other people who aren’t as busy or financially limited as we are.
Which is why I am discovering the significance of bringing Schole into my world. It’s actually something I feel God regularly whisper to me during my day. “Look for the beauty, the true and the good”. Therefore it makes sense that the first step to bringing restful learning or Schole into our lives is to actively seek and begin to surround ourselves with the true, the good and the beautiful. To seek to find Jesus all around us, and to give time and space to discover Him in our day.
Schole encourages us to have beautiful things around our home that give us something to think about and contemplate. It could just mean planting some flowers that you can see from the window or placed inside, cooking and eating something really yummy, music, art, inspiring books, or decorating for the season. It’s in doing something you love like playing sport, exercising or just stopping to breathe. For it’s in finding the beauty, the good and the true that we find rest and much needed leisure from “work”, and interestingly this environment is far more conductive to learning and discovery.
Today I encourage you to take the time to nourish your soul; to fuel your spirit and replenish your body. Practice the art of Schole – the art of restful, deep and meaningful learning and discovery, and of surrounding yourself with the true, the good and the beautiful. God is all around us and He has so much to share and it’s especially easy to receive all He has to impart to us when we already, “fixing our thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable; and thinking about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Philippians 4:8). It’s in restful learning that we discover Him.
“Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
Prayer: Lord please help me to surround myself with things that help me to remember that life is not all about production and results, but also about what is true, good and beautiful, because in them I also discover and learn from you. In Jesus name Amen.
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