It’s that time of year when we start to doubt our decision to homeschool, the curriculum we’re using and if we’re progressing as we should, it’s called homeschool burnout.  So maybe it’s time to focus on why we’re doing all this in the first place.

There’s a school of thought that believes that Christians should send their children to public schools as ambassadors for Christ.  There’s also the school of thought that says we should keep our children home and nurture them in the fear, reverence, and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4) before sending them out to witness to others about Christ’s love for us and His resurrection. (Matthew 28:19-20)  Either way you look at it, there’s a spiritual battle going on for the hearts and minds of our children.  This is nothing new; it is the battle every parent since Adam and Eve has faced.  As parents we need to do whatever we can to gird up our children so that they can “give an answer for the hope that lies within them”  (1 Peter 3:15) which is certainly wise given that too often silence is taken for acceptance with what is being espoused.  Would our children be given the opportunity in public schools to express their hope and confidence in Jesus as their Savior? (2 Timothy 2:14-17, Joshua 1:7-8,

We need to do what we can to give them the tools to combat the doubt they will continually encounter as they venture out into the world.  They need to be grounded in their faith so that their itching ears will not be satisfied by false doctrine.  (2 Timothy 4:3)

So what are these tools?  I would suggest that it begins with being familiar with the Bible and hiding His word in your heart. (Acts 17:11, Romans 15:4, Ephesians 6:13-18; Colossians 3:16)  So does that mean that those with good recall and memorization skills will be successful in sharing about the hope within them? (Galatians 6:6-7)  Not necessarily.  We also need good communication skills (Psalm 19:14), which begin with an excellent aptitude for listening. (Luke 11:28)  There are other skills, but this is a good start. (Hebrews 5:13-14)

Where can our children best learn these skills?  What does God’s Word say about that?  We all are familiar with the Deuteronomy 6:6-9 command, I’d add John 8:31-32 and Acts 2:42 to that.  What would you add?

All these skills take time to coalesce, perhaps even longer than the time we’re allotted to teach them at home. (Philippians 1:6)

So, let us begin anew each morning (Mark 10:13-15, Acts 2:38-39) and give it to the Lord.