As Christians we are called to train our children, which also includes their education, for Him. That means that we should have our goal and our sights forever on the spiritual excellence of each of our children and homeschool them for spiritual growth, NOT for educational excellence. Only then can we claim Matt. 6:33: “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.”
How should I begin to homeschool?
How should I begin each school year?
How should I begin each day?
How should I deal with questions, concerns, or trials I face daily?
Through your trust in Him!!
Jer. 17:5 “Thus says the LORD, Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength, and whose heart turns away from the LORD.”
Jer. 17:7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD and whose trust is the LORD.”
It’s our trust in the Lord, taking a step of faith, that HE may be glorified in our homeschooling for Him.
How do you continue to homeschool?
Again by your faith and trust in Him!!! Have faith that HE is more than able to guide and help you. He would not have called you if He weren’t going to help you.
Prov. 1:8 “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching...”
The Lord gives us a simple way to educate our children in Deut. 11:19: “And you shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
Have faith when you are homeschooling that He will be glorified through your efforts to exalt Him. Isa. 52:13: “Behold, My servant will prosper; he will be high and lifted up, and greatly exalted.”
You must train yourself and your children to pray for everything!! 1Ths. 5:17 says that we are to “pray without ceasing”!! Pray blessings over your children. Daily use 3x5 cards with pictures to pray for your needs and desires. Use pictures to pray for unsaved loved ones. When your homeschool day exalts the Lord, He will help you to advance your children academically for His Kingdom and for His good use!!!
2Tim. 2:20-22 “Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Therefore, if a man cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love {and} peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”
Homeschooling Through Relationship
or
Homeschooling Under the Law
When we have a deep and loving relationship with the Lord, we don’t worry about the law, but about pleasing HIM! Gal. 3:10: “For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM.’”
In the same way, we must build a deep and loving relationship with our children for them to want to please us rather than living by rules and regulations. We must encourage our children rather than demand from them. We must love rather than rule. By promoting and encouraging a loving and close relationship with your children, you will in turn help them to create a deep and loving relationship with the Lord. Their only fear of the Lord will be “How can I please Him?”
Works
Gal. 2:16 “...nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified.”
Whenever we try to over-perform, we create an atmosphere for failure or burnout. Don’t fall into the trap that so many homeschool mothers have chosen. Keep your perspective, which can be difficult when there is someone else (the authors of your curriculum who believe your child should know and learn all they have put into their books). Seek the Lord first and ask Him to show you what your child needs to know and what trivia in the book is unnecessary.
We are living in the days of EXPERTS — people with degrees who tell us they know what is right and wrong for our children and us. But they DON’T! Only the Lord really knows.
If you need help, those who have walked through it “with Him” can help you. But those of us who do help others, who have walked it “with the Lord,” must be careful to merely point the way. We must not make the mistake of taking over; instead we must allow the Lord to lead them. We can do just as much damage as the paid “experts” if we try to control or arrogantly believe that WE know what others who homeschool should or shouldn’t do. We don’t!! We must simply make ourselves available to help when encouragement is needed and possibly make “suggestions” in order to bring that mother peace. Praying with her, then praying for her, is the best thing you can do to teach her that that is the way to solve all her problems. But you can’t be an example UNLESS you pray yourself.
Curriculum Beware
If you BUY, you will try to USE; then you will be forced to PRESSURE your children. When you pressure your children, you lose your peace and destroy your relationship with your children and your Lord. Don’t quench the Holy Spirit by buying and using what you don’t need. 1Ths. 5:19: “Do not quench the Spirit...”
Watch out for the “works” of workbooks. When we buy workbooks, or any curriculum, we may be setting our children and ourselves up to fail. They are usually time consuming, and offer not as much fruit as they demand labor. They can be very monotonous, and I have found, not conducive to learning. Use them sparingly and cautiously. In the beginning, they may give you a sense of security, such as with using Paces; however, you should wean yourself from them for the reasons stated above. Easy workbooks, like those you get in the grocery store or Wal-Mart, can help you to teach some simple concepts such as writing numbers or letters.
Pride
When you homeschool and you are motivated by pride, you are setting yourself and your children up for a fall. Pride is mentioned 51 times in the Bible, always in negative light. Prov. 16:18: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.” If you want your children to learn something for the reason of pride or boasting, rather than to use as a talent for “the glory of God,” you set your children up for destruction.
Pride can also motivate you to do what you can to please or impress others, especially your parents or your in-laws who are against homeschooling and question your ability to educate their grandchildren.
James 4:4 says, “...whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
Gal. 1:10 “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.”
Col. 3:22 “Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.”
How do I begin?
Again, carefully seek Him through prayer. He is ALWAYS faithful to answer and lead you, open and shut the door for you, and keep you from falling!
Prov. 8:17 “I love those who love me; and those who diligently seek me will find me.
Isa. 30:21 “And your ears will hear a word behind you, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right or to the left.”
Isa. 41:10 “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Build Daily upon Your Good and Solid Foundation
Matt. 7:25 “And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and {yet} it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock.”
Your foundation, if you follow what has been said, will be the Rock of Jesus Christ. Now begin to build upon the Rock. Be sure that every day you cover “the basics.” Be sure to begin with Bible; then do reading, writing, arithmetic. Later, add science, geography, etc. If you do just a “little bit” every day you will have good fruits for your labor and be able to go the long haul.
Prov. 6:6-11 “Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise, which, having no chief, Officer or ruler, Prepares her food in the summer, and gathers her provision in the harvest. How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? ‘A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest’— And your poverty will come in like a vagabond, And your need like an armed man.”
Those who fail to have the proper foundation, which is “Him,” and build with the fancy subjects and books, find that they fail. This is what our competition does, and their bad fruits are evidence.
85% of all high school graduates are functionally illiterate. Now colleges have had to add remedial courses. If that weren’t enough to wake up Christian parents (along with all the sin, evil, dangers, and evolution in the schools), large corporations have had to include basic remedial courses for those who come in with college diplomas! Apple Computer’s president said that if his system turned out that percentage of failures he would tear down the entire company and start over.
It is so incredible that so many of us are intimidated to compete with the schools that have proven to be a failure both educationally and morally. It would be VERY foolish to try and imitate an educational system that is failing at a rate of 85% or to feel intimidated by trying to compete with this failing system.
Home School or Home Educate?
Work homeschooling into your home life. Some find it fun to “play” school especially with young children who thought they wanted to go to school. But to put a school into your home, rather than attaining the mindset of educating your children daily, you will be missing a blessing, you may burnout, and you may create an atmosphere for failure.
It will be VERY difficult to begin to educate your children in your home, if your house and/or home is out of order. If you live without any routine, you will become exasperated and your children will become confused and even more unruly. In addition, when you spread yourself or your children too thin, you will find yourself giving up. This is not God’s way. God is a God of order. God has a consistent routine. The sun comes up in the east and goes down in the west at the same time every day! Give your children that same kind of consistency in your home to create security. God is a God of peace and of waiting. Rushing is of the enemy since it is his goal to “wear down the saints of the Highest One” (Dan. 7:25).
Fulfilling Their Call
You are raising no ordinary child. Your child has a special call on his or her life. God gave each of us our own special and unique children. They have been entrusted to you to love and train for Him. They are not for our good pleasure, but His. Yet, if you train them for Him, they will bring you pleasure and delight.
In addition, never forget that they don’t belong to anyone else either. Don’t make the mistake of turning your children over to others to train. Cherish and protect what the Lord has given you, so that you can give them to the Lord, undefiled and ready for His use. Think on this daily. Soon it will be your mindset and you will be able to better make decisions that you will face regarding your children's upbringing.
Our goal, my husband’s and mine, is for all of our children to go into full-time ministry to advance His kingdom. What is your goal? Is it money, fame, or pride?
More Scripture for Your Foundation
Our Promises:
- Dan. 1:17 “And as for these four youths, God GAVE them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams.”
- Prov. 22:6 “…even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
- 1Cor. 13:8 “Love never fails...”
The Condition:
- Dan. 1:8 “But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself …”
- Prov. 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go…”
- John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” and Luke 6:46 “And why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”
Warnings:
Prov. 14:7 “Leave the presence of a fool, or you will not discern words of knowledge.”
Our Guide:
1Ths. 1:2-3 “We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father...”
Prov. 1:8-9 “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching; Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head, and ornaments about your neck.”
“She rises while it is yet night…” Proverbs 31:15
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