Journey to Homeschool

Miss Naomi asked me a few months back if I would be interested in writing an article for her periodical, Helpmeets in Training. After praying about writing something I felt led to write the following article:

When I was nine years old I accepted Jesus as my Savior. I learned from that very young age that I could put my trust in God and that He would always be there. Being a little girl I knew that my Heavenly Father was always there watching me and caring for me. I remember praying many times that He would send me a Christian husband at the right time that shared what I believed in. He has answered that prayer and He has blessed me with a godly man that not only shares in the same beliefs, but is the spiritual leader of our household that God has called him to be. As I became older and we were married, it was never clear to me what my “career” was supposed to be. Even after attending college for two years after high school I still did not have clarity in a certain major or career path. Now, however, I know what I was called to do.

After some time struggling with what we knew God was calling us to do, my husband and I began homeschooling our daughters this school year. My doubts about making this plunge into this new world were always met with conviction about what I knew to be true. The responsibility of our two precious daughters' education was not that of the worlds, but it was our duty. Here is our command found in God’s word:

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 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.” Deut 6:4-7

Homeschooling is a completely new adventure. It is a journey that is difficult at times, but many other times can be so very rewarding. I am blessed to be able to teach our daughters the Truth and not worry about their education being contaminated with “worldly” things. When I first began studying and researching about homeschooling I came across many great testimonies. Some wonderful ladies shared that while teaching their children they would just release that lesson to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to take charge and teach what He willed. This came as a great relief to me to know that it wasn’t about ME teaching, it was about God teaching through me. We must become vessels that our Lord uses to illustrate, teach, and pass on what we know to be true. It is our responsibility to pass along our Christian heritage. What we teach are the wonderful truths of God’s Word in every subject. After all, He is the one that created each and every one of them!

Our purpose on this earth is not to obtain all of the physical items that we can. It is not to have pockets full of money and houses stored with treasures. Our purpose for being on this earth is to realize our Creator wants a relationship with Him through His Son Jesus. We are to bring Him glory in all that we do. When we realize this and let go of all the things that the world tries to bind us to, we can truly see that God has great things in store for us. Not only here on earth for a very short time, but for an eternity. This great quote from Rosalie Slater is one that we should not only memorize, but teach to our children, “I am God’s property created in His image for His glory and have a responsibility to steward all He has given me for my place in history.”

With a grateful heart I thank God very often that He has instilled this desire in our family’s heart to home educate our girls. As one of God’s promises to us in His Word, I cling to this verse and know that for this purpose am I called. “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6