Yes, You Can Do It!!

     Tonight is one of those rare nights when I am up past ten o'clock and all the children are sleeping!! I should be asleep myself, as the littlest one has been waking up 4 or 5 times a night, but I haven't enjoyed a quiet evening in a long time.
     As I worked in my quiet kitchen, I had some time to reflect on something that happened the other day. We went to the mall because daddy needed a new suit and after we were done shopping, we stopped to play at the playplace in the middle of the mall. We ran into an acquaintance there and began chatting as we watched the children play. My son is almost 5 and naturally people have been asking lately about when he will begin kindergarten, as did this lady. When she found out we are homeschoolers, her response was typical of most people we meet. "I could never do that!" she said. At the time, I just kind of laughed it off like I normally do. But after I had some time to reflect on that conversation, I began to think that laughing off that often-heard comment was not the best thing I could have done.
     My mind went back to the book I have been reading entitled When You Rise Up: A Covenantal Approach to Homeschooling by R. C. Sproul Jr. In this book, Sproul argues that parents really can homeschool their children, even if they do not feel qualified, and here's why......God has given us what we need to accomplish this task. His word is true and filled with promises that He will deliver on. And when we begin homeschooling, where do we start? Proverbs 1:7 says it best..."The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." This is where we start when homeschooling our children. We do not start with math or reading or writing, but instead with teaching our children about God. We are told in 2 Timothy 3:16 & 17 that "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." We start with bringing the Word of God to our children so that "Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord," as Psalm 22:30 states.
     So knowledge begins with telling our children of the glory of the Lord. Math and science and reading have their rightful place, but they are not to take first place in our children's education. And when that becomes apparent, homeschooling does not seem such a daunting task. For if I could choose that my children would be wise by the world's standards or by God's, you can bet that I would choose God's standards because "Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? (1 Corinthians 1: 20)" and "For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. (1 Corinthians 1:25)". And if we do have reservations about teaching any certain subject to our children, we are told in James 1:5 that "if we lack wisdom, we should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."
     God has covered all the bases for us. So if you have ever thought about homeschooling but have been convinced that you could never do it, think again. In teaching our children about the Lord, we have the perfect starting place. God will direct us from there about what is important enough to teach our children and about how to to teach it.