Reflections on Education, Faith, and God

OK, so I'm still catching on to this blogging thing, and it's proving to be sort of fun, even though I'm still such the beginner blogger.  You'll see a mix of homeschooling, family, friends, and life here, because really, it's all sort of one and the same to me.  Even though we do set aside some time on weekdays to do some formal academic work and hit the books, our learning and home education never really stops.  It all kind of meshes together, as we all experience and proceed with life's happenings and God's sovereign plans that He knew of us before we were even born.  Sometimes even *YOU* may be part of the lesson my kids are learning about at a given moment...so beware!  :)  BJU has a T-Shirt out that says, "Homeschoolers have class everywhere", and that about sums it up, even though it's a play on words.  One thing that our family has come to realize over the years is that education never stops.  Whether you're just 6 and learning to read or 75 and learning how to share your wisdom with the next generation, learning never ends.  Can you imagine how knowledgeable Adam, THE Adam of the Bible, must have become after living on this earth for 800 years??  We barely scratch the surface of one century in our lifetime, which is only a morsel of time compared to eternity.  By God's grace and mercy, I will have accomplished 4 of those decades by summer time on my 40th birthday.  Did I just say that?!  Yes, I'm turning 40 soon, but I'm actually willing to embrace it gracefully and willingly, because I like this place that I'm at so much better than when I was younger, believe it or not.

I guess when you get to this point, you begin to realize that this planet we live on for such a brief amount of time is not really all that permanent.  As Christians, it is not our home; it should not be the main focus of our hearts.  Sure, many of us enjoy the pleasures and blessings that the Lord provides while we're here (which I'm so very thankful for -especially this time of year around Thanksgiving, because I'm not one who likes to "rough it" :), but the only place that we will truly find real comfort, hope, peace, joy, and life to the fullest is in our eternal hope and promise which comes by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.  Heaven is our true home and the place in which we will one day spend eternity...ETERNITY folks! Not just a few decades or even 8 centuries!... if we are *truly* one of His.  He has us here on this earth still for only one purpose, and that is to glorify Him.  It is His purpose that we will enjoy Him forever, if we are believers.  It is not necessarily his purpose here on this earth for us to be comfortable all the time or to have OUR way in things.  In fact, sometimes I believe he allows for our discomfort in order to shape us (or those around us) more into his likeness for His glory and His good in order to advance His kingdom and plan.  By faith, I believe that there is much more purpose to what I do here on this earth for the short time I exist here than I'm even aware of.  Eternal purpose that may stretch into generations to come (I'm thinking possible great-great-great grandchildren...).  Purpose that gives life, breath, reason, and drive as to why we continue to home educate and why I embrace motherhood and the work that goes along with it so deeply.  This *IS* my calling and my "career" during this season of life, and I've learned to be very thankful for it.  I see it as an act of worship to my Lord.  And trust me when I say, I'm no June Cleaver! (I guess you have to be almost 40 or older to know what I'm talking about there! LOL.)  I'm not naturally the domestic type, and some days require me to press on more than others, but nonetheless, it is what I do. My heart is in my home and calling as wife, mother, and Christian...because of HIM.  This also doesn't mean that I don't enjoy hobbies and other interests in life.  It's a matter of priorities, I guess.

We home educate our kids for so many reasons that have accumulated and grown over time now, but one of those primary reasons is because Heaven is our goal in the education process, not Harvard.  Now I have nothing against higher learning institutions and ambitions, mind you, (besides the fact that some of them are completely opposed to the purpose of our existence as Christians and directly contrast the Word of God in every way imaginable...but that's another post), but our main goal in raising our children is to raise and train them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord...in ALL subjects (math: God's order; science: the study of God's creation; history: the study of His providence and plan throughout time, pointing to Christ; English: God's gift of language and communication)...because we believe that wisdom is just as much a part of education as knowledge, and BOTH begin with the fear of the Lord.  We strongly believe in Christian education, not in order to hide in a bubble and avoid worldliness, as some may presume, but rather just the opposite...to train for combat in such an environment.  There is a French proverb that says, "Learning is not wisdom any more than cloth is clothes." 

We do not believe in sending out soldiers into the battlefield before they are equipped with the proper weapons in which to do battle ...spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically.  Although I know some may disagree with me, I don't believe God has called small, immature children to be missionaries, apart from their parents, for hours on end daily, until they are first made to be disciples of the master of their soul.  Training and discipling takes time and deliberate effort.  Not just once or twice/week.  Not just in a reactive sense when life's circumstances force us to respond.  But rather in a pro-active sense of embracing what's out there in the real world with a mentor/leader/parent by your side to walk you through it in a way that would cause you to deliberately think biblically about such matters.  We call this worldview training.  Discipleship. This is why we home school.  There's a very deliberate agenda behind our parenting, and home education is just part of it.  It's not perfect, mind you, and neither are we (far from it actually),  but for *us*, it's the best model of education that we have come across so far in order to accomplish these goals that the Lord has laid upon our hearts.  We started this journey in 2002, and we are committed to it, by God's grace, until our kids graduate. If we were not homeschooling, then we would work hard to find a means in which they would still be provided with a Christian education, one way or another in their youth.  It is our conviction to do so.  This is not just a preference. It's not because we just don't like those public schools. Quite simply, public schools do not provide a Christian education (in fact, it's just the opposite), so therefore they are not an option for us.  Keeping this in mind is what helps me to persevere when those rough days emerge, and they do.  It's also what makes me feel blessed and fulfilled when the Lord allows us to see small glimpses of the fruit of our labor from time to time.  It's certainly nothing that I can do within my own strength, and I'm sure I've made a lot of blips along the way, but as I reflect back on the 8 years that we have been at this thing called homeschooling and  the 15 years of the endeavor that we call parenting, I've come to realize that the Lord never ever leaves me or forsakes me to do these tasks by myself.  He's ALWAYS with me, even when I'm not consciously aware of His presence.  In fact, His strength is made perfect in my weaknesses, of which there are many.  It is only when I trust Him and walk in obedience to His calling that I can hope to find a measure of success in life...success as defined by Him in His Word according to His will.  Success that leads to eternal vision and victory.  My best life is NOT "now", as I've heard it said by some famous speakers/writers, but rather my best life is yet to come!  I would encourage all of you to walk with the King daily in the light of His eternal glory and promise, especially as we celebrate "God with us" during this Christmas season and every season, as THAT is what the ancients were commended for in Hebrews 11:1 when it says, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (NIV)

By grace, through faith, in Christ...alone.  It is the very essence of why I bother to breathe daily and why life, including education, is all inclusive in that everything we do from day to day is an expression of who we trust and the object of our faith, which must be God Himself if we call ourselves believers.  Faith destroys self-sufficiency.  The reward of faith?  God!  We get God!  There's nothing greater!