School Struggles - Part 2

Hopefully, you’ve had a little bit of time to think about your child’s strengths and weaknesses. Maybe you’ve even been brave enough to talk with him/her about it. Kudos to any of you who had that tough conversation.

Every child will struggle with an area of life. Even if your child is an academic superstar, they may struggle socially. We seem to all have a “thorn in our side.” A hero of our faith, Paul, said about himself in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

"Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me-to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong." 

It’s OK that we have weaknesses. In fact, Paul helps us see that the power of God is displayed through our weaknesses. This is definitely a philosophical stance that helps us see that weaknesses don’t make us failures. Paul even goes so far as to say that God GAVE him this thorn in the flesh. A question to pose then, “Does God give us specific weaknesses that we’ll deal with all of our lives?”

Here’s the harsh reality, even if our child struggles academically, he/she still HAS to get an education. How do we help them succeed to the best of his/her ability? Here are some tips that you might find helpful. 

1. Stop the comparison game and figure out with an expert (teacher/pediatrician) if your child is truly behind. 
2. Determine the subject/area in which your child struggles most and give that area attention. Don’t forget that many problems originate from a child’s inability to organize their things. Help them figure out a way to stay organized! 
3. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Ask your child’s teacher/pediatrician if tutoring will help. They’ll have a perspective that will help you know if your child is just a bit behind or has some sort of delay. 
4. If it comes to it, don’t be afraid to have your child assessed for special education. Many children just need the opportunity to learn differently and special education offers this. God has made your child fearfully and wonderfully, and ALL God’s works are wonderful! Know strengths, work on weaknesses. Many times our strengths teach us how to adapt our weaknesses.

I hope you find this information to be valuable to your family. As always, we welcome your feedback and prayer requests, so feel free to contact me with those at journeyland@journeycommunity.net.