Deciding between good and good seems to be the battle of adulthood. I can't remember the last time that I had the privilege of choosing between good and bad. Those decisions seem easy compared to the good vs. good choices. When the alternative to a decision is "bad", the Christian decision seems obvious. Following through with the decision might be difficult, but the actual decision isn't hard to make if you are a follower of Christ. The hard decisions come when you find yourself choosing between important tasks, events, or people. When our children start their school work each day and choose to do math first, they may have many reasons for doing so. Maybe they like math and find it stimulating to start their day that way. Maybe they hate math and want to get it over with. How do you decide to start with your favorite subject if you have two favorite subjects? These decisions are hard.
This example seems simple enough, but it applies to many parts of our lives. Recently, I've been reminded of this dilemma with farming and gardening. We have a huge garden, my boys work on a local farm, and we take our classical education very seriously. What is a homeschool mom to do in October during the harvest? How do we set priorities when our daily choices are between good and good? Farming is important. Education is important. Food is important.
Obviously, I don't have all of the answers. I still spend significant time pondering the balancing act of college classes, co-ops, farming, and canning. In the past, I would rank the tasks by importance, but in reality, they're all important. Block scheduling offers some hope. We need to be the guards for our children. We guard and protect their schedule and show them how to create healthy boundaries and expectations. The fact of the matter is, if I never prioritize my own education, then neither will they. Creating a lifelong habit of learning, farming, working, and serving is hard work. It's all good. Choose wisely.