The curriculum newsletter that came across my computer this morning made the suggestion to take advantage of the opportunity to promote homeschooling when topics of conversation turned toward the horrible school events of this past week.

I wanted to scream, “NO! Don’t say THAT!”

Of course I don’t want to be over-critical of this person’s suggestion. I’m certain it came from the heart of a loving, homeschooling parent. What parent wouldn’t want their child rescued from atrocities such as these?? I don’t want to make light of those these horrible events either, but these barbaric men could have just as easily stormed my home and killed my children while they were being educated at home.

Our battle is not against men with guns. Ephesians  6:12 reminds us: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Certainly our children’s safety is an added perk to homeschooling, (although studies show that most accidents do happen at home) but we ought not let it be the reason that we choose to homeschool our children. It is impossible to hide from Satan. He is alive and well in our own homes just lurking and waiting to attack us not only physically, but more often even sending his flaming arrows straight out through our own hearts and minds into each other.  1Peter 5:8 “ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”

I believe that the best reason for homeschooling is that we desire for our families to be on the offense rather than the defense. We should want our children to not only be fully equipped for battle once they leave our sheltering arms, but we should want to make sure they stay enlisted in God’s army period! Their tender young minds can so easily be swayed to believe the twisted lies of the world.  They can be lead astray from their service to our Heavenly Father before we even blink.

Yes, the scenes that we are seeing on the nightly news make us tremble, but they shouldn’t. Psalms 56:4 does say: “In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.” The only fear that should move us to action is the fear of the LORD himself. Deuteronomy 8:6 says: “Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.”  

With all the tools available to us today, homeschooling is really not difficult (don’t you get asked that question ALL the time?) But, likewise, homeschooling is certainly NOT easy either! In more ways than I have time to list, it is the most challenging project a  person can undertake!  If we homeschool for the reason of FEAR, we’ll not make it. Even fear isn’t strong enough to get us through the difficult days when we feel like throwing in the towel. We must choose homeschooling out of a desire to serve the Lord, feeling that it is His calling for us to do so.

           If you are blessed with the opportunity to share homeschooling with other like-minded parents, I encourage you to be positive and share with them what the Lord can do with children who aren’t “over-protected” at home, but rather fully prepared to enter the world in service to Him Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”