One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Jesus feeding the 5000. (John 6:1-14) It’s a favorite because of the little boy “with five small barley loaves and two small fish”. We don’t know anymore about the little boy, than the fact that he offered his lunch to Jesus, but I love to consider the motivation and feelings of the people in the Bible.

I can picture that small boy setting out that morning, his mom giving him a kiss on the forehead and handing him his lunch. She had prepared him for the day ahead, despite the fact that she could never have know what the day would bring.

We don’t know if he was seeking Jesus, or if Jesus happened to pass by at some point and claimed the boy’s attention. Either way, the little boy stepped up when the need arose and gave generously, with the gift his mother gave him just that morning.

As homeschool parents we are actively preparing our children, however, we don’t know exactly what we are preparing them for. That little boy’s mom could have been sending him out for a day of fishing, but she could never have known he would be part of an amazing miracle! We may be preparing our child go to college, or just go to grandma’s house, or even just to go outside to play with the neighbor kids, but there’s a possibility that God has a completely different plan for them this day.

It’s our job to prepare them, it’s God’s job to use them, and it’s their job to say yes. To say ‘yes’ to His will, to say ‘yes’ to their calling. We can’t say yes for them; we can only prepare them, and cover them in prayer.