I’ve been thinking back on my younger Christian days, mostly because I realize how legalistic I was. I went from being an angry unbeliever pre-teen who hated everything to a moralistic junkie. I got rid of my Boyz to Men and Mariah Carey CDs and tapes. (Haha…I feel very old saying this.) I stopped listening to Z100 and took the train over to Christian Publication on 42nd St. Times Square regularly to buy myself some Christian music. I will never understood why this Christian book store was located in the sketchiest part of the city. The area was crawling in x-rated shops and peep shows. Thankfully, it has been cleaned up now, but I digress.
I think back on these days, because I’m reminded of how horrible my theology was. How everything in my life was compartmentalized. Friday youth group and Sunday worship was my Christian Publication in the midst of a depraved world. My school was Sodom and my neighborhood, Gomorrah. All of a sudden I was too “good” for my best friend who was not a believer. (So much cringe.) I find myself repenting again over this and praying that she is well.
I mention this as an introduction to why I have grown to love homeschooling so much more over the years. Where’s the connection you ask? Our lives aren’t compartmentalized. Everything, to the best of my ability, is taught and lived through the lens of the Gospel. Also, we enjoy everything, because they are all gifts from our God. We don’t have to read scripture all day and only do “spiritual” things. Every moment is Holy. There is such a freedom and joy in this and it is a glimpse of what is to come. I’m reminded of a Martin Luther quote for this Advent season:
“There is such richness and goodness in this nativity that if we should see and deeply understand, we should be dissolved in perpetual joy.”
And so let’s think upon the richness and goodness of Christ’s coming to us:
I’m reminded of the town in which Jesus was born and His first baby’s cry, breaking God’s 400 years of silence. I’m reminded of the family and culture that He came into. The neighborhood. The conversations He had in His Father’s house as a boy with the priests. How He astonished them with His knowledge. How he worried His parents by being there. I think about the occupation that He took on. The skills He learned from Joseph, his earthly father. I’m reminded of how He called each of His disciples and Mary as well. He knew them by name before He had met them. He rested with His disciples and broke bread with them and (gasp) with sinners. So much of His ministry was being with us. Not solely teaching or rebuking, never condemning (John 3:17) but absolutely relational. He was a Son, a brother, a carpenter, a friend, a teacher. Our relational-promise-keeping-God was doing something. Something really good.
Jesus’ incarnate time with us was not compartmentalized. All of it was in obedience and love to His Father.
9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15:9-11
Abiding in Him should be our desire for ourselves and our children and it is work—not passive, but a living out in Him.
All this to say that homeschooling has become a fertile soil for my own growth in understanding all things in relation to God as I have tried to create this for my children. My life is no longer as compartmentalized as it used to be where spiritual things are left to Sundays. (Although, I must admit that in my sinfulness, I still struggle with just going through the motions.) In this recent realization, I do find a perpetual joy. I wrote this recently on my personal IG account about the beginning of our homeschool year:
Tomorrow, we start the first day of this new school year. One of the main things I’m thankful for—being able to teach my children all subjects not as separate from our faith, but in light of our faith. Infinite numbers reflect our eternal God. Scripture and science can coexist in a place where we grow closer to God the Creator and we don’t have all the answers, but we can have the important conversations to grow in faith together. God doesn’t need to be mentioned every time—He’s just always there. Omnipresent. Omniscient. Sovereign.
Highlights from our homeschooling life. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31
Not pictured here are some of the challenges and lows of our days. Also not pictured, the struggle in wanting to be self-sufficient, to reap all the benefits of being a Christian without God. How much more difficult must it be for children who attend school. I see in some of our children, where their lives have become compartmentalized. Where they learn from their teachers and peers, from literature, from history, and from science, but it is not taught through the very simple presupposition that God is God. And then they come to church on Sundays and they don’t see the relationship between what they are learning in school with what they are learning in church. In fact at times, thoughts and ideas directly clash with one another. I hear it in their questions:
“What about dinosaurs?”
“Is the Bible like Greek myths?”
The connections have to be made or addressed as differing and the parents in partnership with the church should be the ones to do it. But I recognize how difficult it is and I also recognize that not every family can homeschool. Not to mention, not all parents feel the calling to homeschool, but every believing parent must feel the calling to bridge this gap—to teach their children to have a Christian worldview. And it can be done! I see it being done within some families within our church. Homeschooling is not the answer, contrary to what some homeschoolers may say, a relationship with the living God and a living faith within families is the answer.
I’d love to help bridge this gap, but will you first help me? Please fill out this form that will provide information for me, but also please keep me and this endeavor in prayer that I would remain faithful and that God would bring it to fruition. The information you provide will be used to create resources for families. Please fill out the form and share the form widely so that I can get this train moving. Share to any parenting groups or with fellow parents.
In the meantime, for my next newsletter I will share:
An encouragement from scripture for parents.
A resource from homeschooling.
A book for parenting.
And an idea for fellow children’s ministry leaders.
Thank you so much for partnering with me and for following along in this beautiful journey that God has set before me.
Until next time, I’ll save a seat for you at the table.