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Considering Homeschooling? Fear Not!

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So many times after telling other women that we homeschool I get the same reaction—a long sigh as they utter the words ‘I could never do that; I wouldn’t know where to begin; I’m not equipped to teach … .’ My heart aches for these women, because they have been lied to. Lied to by society, lied to by proponents of public education, and lied to by the Father of Lies himself. The lie they have been fed is that they are not good enough, they don’t have what it takes. Perhaps they feel that their children would be better off in the hands of someone else for whatever reason. Maybe you are one of these mothers. Maybe you feel God asking you to step out in faith and bring your children home … but you’re afraid. Friend, if this is where you are, then know this … you are not alone.

Well into our second year of homeschooling things seemed to be zipping along rather seamlessly. We had been blessed with a wonderful church, loving friends, and a good support system for homeschooling. One afternoon, while on the phone with a good friend, she suddenly began to question whether or not we had truly been called to homeschool all of our children. I was shocked and then hurt. My hurt began to turn to doubt, and I started questioning whether or not I had really heard the Lord correctly about homeschooling. ‘After all,’ I thought, ‘how can I handle something as significant as the education of my children?’ Much later than I should have, I went to the Lord in prayer. He had only five words for me: ‘Remember what I told you.’ I knew exactly what He meant; they were the very words with which He had initially convicted us about homeschooling.

‘And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.’ (Deuteronomy 6:5–7)

The Lord Himself has given us what we need to teach our children. We are commanded to hide His words in our own hearts and then teach them diligently to our children. The spiritual well-being of our children should be our first and primary concern. This runs contrary to what our culture deems as valuable in education, but it is exactly where the Lord wants our focus to be. God is much more concerned with the attitudes of our children’s hearts than He is with how much knowledge they have accumulated. Even if our children gain the most extravagant education possible and achieve all measures of worldly success, if they have no relationship with the Lord, in reality, what have they really gained? Jesus put it best when He said, ‘For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?’ (Matthew 16:26)

If God is calling you to homeschool your children, He is not going to leave you to do so on your own. In fact, trying to do it on your own will only lead to failure. In Exodus, when God called Moses back to Egypt to petition Pharaoh for the freedom of the Israelites, He never left him. When He commanded Noah to build and then enter the ark while the rest of humanity lived in total rebellion against the Almighty, God never left Noah, and He will not leave you.

Do you still feel nervous about taking the first step? How will you know what to teach your children? Well, I have good news for you. You already have access to everything you need! ‘For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding’ (Proverbs 2:6).‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Be not afraid, beloved of the Lord. He only has good for you and for your family. Your children are His precious gift to you! God chose you out of all the mothers on the earth to be their mother. He knew that you would be the best teacher for your children, and He has lovingly entrusted you with that responsibility. You know them and love them more than anyone else ever could. Don’t be deceived into believing that you don’t have what it takes to teach them. You have the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the Creator, the Alpha and the Omega with you every moment. Is there any better resource than the Lord Almighty?

‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.’ (Proverbs 3:5)


Biographical Information

JJ has a B.A. in English from the University of Redlands and a M.Ed. from Liberty University. She and her husband, Dan, live in Nashville, Tennessee, where she homeschools their four children. You can contact her at Francis2911@aol.com.