Character lessons from the Powwow ~ Part 1

Experiencing a different culture in-depth is one of our favorite parts of attending  Native American Pow Wows. Our younger daughter and I recently attended a small Inner-tribal Pow Wow near our home. We have been here many times before, and always enjoy the opportunity. As I sat watching the pageantry and grace of the various dancers in their regalia, God started nudging me to listen more closely to what was being said by the emcee and other speakers between the dances. There were four character lessons that were repeated throughout the day. Today I want to share with you just the first one, and how God is using it to remind me that He wants it to be a character trait of our family and homeschool.

We are honored to be asked to do something

The character trait of humility is one that I need to remember to cultivate both for myself and for my children. We have worked in our family to eliminate the word pride from our vocabulary because pride brings glory to man, while humility brings glory to God. Feeling honored when someone asks you to do something shows humility. You do not expect the honor, it is given to you.

The first time this was mentioned at the Pow Wow was when one of the elders of the northern drum was asked to pray to open the ceremonies. He said he was honored to have been asked. He remembered growing up and hearing other elders pray before a Pow Wow would begin. He ended his prayer "In Jesus' name." A simple, heartfelt prayer for God the Father to bless the weekend, and also to bless any who were there who needed to know Him and His peace. He had not lost his culture when he accepted Jesus, he had enlarged it, and God had honored his faithfulness.

Heart check: how often do I feel honored when I am asked to do something instead of annoyed? 

Mom, can you tie my shoe? 

Honey, can you call the bank for me today? 

Can you help serve at our event?  

If humility is winning in my character, I can feel honored that these people trust me enough to do these things well for them. If humility is not present, I just get discouraged or annoyed that they would be asking for help again. We cannot expect our children to grow up and learn the character trait of humility if they never see it in our own lives.

If we are homeschooling because we think we already know everything, and this particular teaching style or curriculum is the only and best way to teach our children, then we are operating from a place of pride, not humility. This home education journey takes a lot of hard work, a lot of prayer, and a huge dependence upon God to lead us. Understanding our need for God humbles us. Better to be humble than prideful.

If this is your first year homeschooling and you have not yet had a day when you cry out to God for His help right this very moment, let me assure, it will come soon enough. Parenting takes time, and so does education. If your goal is to equip your children with Godly character, there will be struggles along the way. Some struggles will be small, others will be huge, but they will all be real. This goal of ours, to train our children to walk in the footsteps of Jesus is more important than which math book they use or whether or not they ever learn to diagram a sentence. This is training them up for the life eternal. Remember Jesus’ words in Mark 8:36? “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?” (ESV) 

The next time you are tempted to feel annoyed because so many people are asking you to do something, check your heart. Let God remind you to be humble, to remember this is an opportunity to serve Him by serving others. May you feel honored when asked to do something for others.

Next time, character lesson #2