To Move a Mountain
This morning, we had 2.5 cubic yards of pulverized topsoil delivered to our driveway. Because it has been raining for two days, the dumptruck could not drive to the back of the property to dump the load conveniently next to our garden beds. Instead, we had to move it...75 feet. 2.5 cubic yards doesn't seem like so much--until you have to move it. With a Tonka truck named Muck, a toy Hummer named Scrambler and a plastic storage tub.

All afternoon, the three of us shoveled, filled containers and hauled dirt. My daughter particularly enjoyed the shoveling. My son's favorite thing to do is dig and haul dirt in his dump truck, anyway.

This is actually part of our unit study we are doing at the moment. So we talked about what we have been doing so far. The main principle we are working on is Christian self-government and have been studying the parable of the sower and related themes in other subject areas. Today, the focus was on work.

I started by asking Mouse why we were created. She was not very confident in her answers. "Because He loves us?" "To work in the Garden?" So I shared:

Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
--Isaiah 43:7
Since we are created in His image for His glory, our primary purpose would be to glorify Him. How do we do that? Jesus says that we will be known by the love we display for one another. We decided that loving God and loving one another is a good place to start. We also talked about faith and how that is more than believing in God. Faith is active. As James says, faith without works is dead. To be salt and light in this world, we have to do more than just believe. We have to act on that belief, always demonstrating the character traits of Christ: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.

And we were created for work.

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
--Genesis 2:15
We do have purpose in this life and it is useful, productive work. Even in Eden, there was work not idleness. 1Corinthians 10:7 tells us in reference to the Israelites rebelling at the foot of Mt. Sinai, ...the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. This sounds like our current generation. Idleness gives but a passing pleasure. Useful work gives us satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment.

After three hours of work, my children were tired, but satisfied. We had completed two of the gardens, filling them with soil, and planting the peppers, tomatoes and herbs. My daughter (7) said she was tired and starving, but her eyes were shining. My son (3) summed up the lesson well:

Mommy, that was a fun day playing outside. I like to do work.

*****

Some time ago, I decided to post a lesson every Friday in order to share a bit more how our day goes and share with my fellow PAers (and anyone else who cares to read it) how I apply my studies to "real life." I sort of dropped it, but am making the effort to begin again. So this comes a day late, but here are others from the lesson blogroll who have shared about their lesson ideas and how their days are set up:

Schooldaze shares her daughter's handwriting/phonogram practice, using SWR.
Principledmom recently shared her schedule, which was nice to see since our daughters are similar ages. This post is a little older, but I found it inspiring and highly recommend it. What a wonderful image of our life in Christ!
Sprittibee always has an abundance of practical ideas to share. Here, she shares some links about our solar system.
Janne just got back from vacation. And I promised her I wouldn't beat her with noodles for not always posting weekly lesson ideas back when she joined. She has so many wonderful and helpful ideas! No lesson this week. But a prayer request.

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