Christ Able: Our journey from home school to school school

Did I ever share the story of how our eldest came to be at school?

I had been planning to home educate for years before Noah was ever born, for lots of reasons but mostly because I was worried about "worldly corruption" and navigating the Halloween season. As an Early Years Teacher myself, I had also experienced too many subpar settings and was worried that none of the schools in our catchment area were good enough.

I came up against a bit of resistance from our wider family and friends and so I often prayed for God to show me His will in this situation.

Suddenly, the day after Riki had a GP appointment to discuss a vasectomy, we found that we were pregnant with Bondling #3 and needed a bigger house. I prayed my socks off, enlisting Noah to partner in prayer with me for the perfect house. I made a sort-of deal that if the Lord would give us a forever home in the catchment area for the best school possible, I would take that as a sign that it was God's will for him to go to school, and as much as it would hurt my pride, I would support it fully.

We heard news of an estate being built in a good location. We didn't dare hope for it but we included it in our prayers as a possibility, only if it was God's will. As the weeks turned into months, my belly grew and so did the houses on the new estate. Arla Beth was born in January but we still hadn't found a new home.

We put in a bid for a house on the same street as my parents, it was between two "okay" schools and was a nice enough house, but we didn't get it. I carried on praying and outwardly put on a brave face, saying, "our perfect home is out there and we'll find it when it's the right time". Inwardly I was worried that we would be stuck in the two bedroomed cave that we hated.

In March we were in a small car accident and I felt so alienated from our family. Truthfully there was only a 5 minute car journey to my parents' house in the next town but I had developed a crippling post-partum anxiety and desperately needed to be closer. We were on the way to the hospital to be checked over the next day and we had a phonecall.

They were offering us one of the new houses. The street was called Christabel, and was directly next door to - literally shared a footpath with - a primary school which was not only the best in the area but also one of the best in the county. It was an accessible home with wide doors and hallways and a starlift port. Even when my joints succumb to the diseases laying in wait, I would be able to stay here. This could be our forever home.

It was available for us to move in at Easter and we were the first in! I was still reluctant but I made the phonecalls and followed through on my promise to enrol Noah into the nursery. On his first day we were walking to nursery and even though it wasn't raining, there was a complete rainbow in the sky just over the road. We entered his classroom and were welcomed by his teacher, Mrs Peace (I could not make this up if I tried!) When I got home I really had to stop myself calling to check on him. Instead, I looked out of his bedroom window toward his classroom to make sure he wasn't by the door waiting for me (he wasn't), and noticed that the rainbow I had seen was a double rainbow right over the school. I felt so at peace and for the first time I actually trusted that this was right. I don't understand why, but it's not my place to know why. Only to be obedient and trust.

Noah has absolutely thrived and even though I try to provide a rich learning environment for my children at home, I could never have provided the experiences and opportunities he's had at school. I'm so grateful for the teachers and support staff, especially during this time when life has been so difficult for everyone. His time at nursery was cut short in March and it was a long six months. I would be lying if I said I didn't falter in my faith for this particular situation, but a couple of weeks ago he started full time school and it's as if he was never away. We stopped by to say hello to his nursery teachers and they were overcome with emotion at seeing their tiny and shy children suddenly so grown up. My heart broke for them as they never had that chance to say goodbye; they didn't get their closure. Seeing the tears from his teachers strangely made my heart flutter. They loved my son and they missed him, they accepted him and they were proud of him. I can't describe how grateful I am for that.

Today I received a message from Noah's new class teacher who remembered, on her weekend, that I had mentioned that we don't celebrate Halloween. She wanted to make sure that any activities she would be planning would be suitable and not offend our beliefs. She not only understands our concerns but shares them and will uphold them in her classroom. She also happens to be the deputy headteacher and the Early Years lead. This, again, is yet another confirmation that I was absolutely right to trust in God and follow through on my promise to send Noah to this particular school. 

Not only that, but thanks to the experience of such a wonderful school, I've refound my passion for my calling (yes, you read that right; I'm finally accepting that this is my calling). I had worried that I was simply too passionate about my vocation and that after being so disheartened by the negative experiences I'd faced, I would never be able to work in my field. I'd convinced myself that there were too many setbacks and so it must not be God's will for me. In truth I was probably a little scared. I finally feel excited and hopeful for my own future and my career, and that's something I never thought I'd be able to say!

Even when all hope seems lost, when the world seems to be running away from us and time goes too quickly. Even when we've tried everything in our own strength and we just can't. Christabel comes up. "Christ Able" comes up. Because when we can't, Christ can.