I was recently asked by a would-be home schooling mother the following question:  "So, how do you stay in the world?  It seems like there would be a great temptation to just hole up and only be with other home schoolers who are like-minded."  The question hit me hard.  After all, we are commanded in the Bible to be "in the world but not of the world."  As I said to this particular mom, that's a very fine line to walk....and one that can be particularly hard for our children to grasp.  But recently, the Biblical story of Lot vs. Abram has been popping up again and again in my life and studies, and I think there's definitely a connection.

We are told, in the Old Testament, that Abram and Lot had to go their separate ways.  Abram gave Lot the choice when it came to selecting an area of land to inhabit, and Lot clearly chose to go where the "world" was.  He liked the lush, green valley of the Jordan and was tempted by the lure of cities and people.  Abram was left with the rocky land of Canaan....away from the "world."  Well, we all know how the story goes......Lot pitched his tents near the city of Sodom, and spent his time both "in" and "of" the world.  He had trouble with the distinction.  When the Lord sent two angels to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, those angels found Lot sitting by the city gates with the other elders of the city - not with his family providing spiritual leadership.  We can see evidence of this spiritual neglect in the reaction Lot got from his sons-in-law when he told them of the impending destruction of Sodom - they laughed at him!  We see further evidence in the behaviour of Lot's wife as they flee Sodom - she disobeys and looks back.  Clearly Lot was a man who crossed that fine line between being "in but not of" the world and allowed it to impact his ability to lead his family for the Lord.

As home schoolers, we can certainly learn "a lot" from Lot.  We are called by God to be different, to buck the system, to step out on a path that few have chosen (although the ranks are growing daily).  Lot chose what he could see:  lush valleys, the bright lights of the city, the comfort of neighbors nearby.  Abram was left with what appeared, at first glance, to be the leftovers:  some rocky land that didn't look too promising.  But God made his covenant with Abraham, and turned "left overs" into a chosen nation.  Wow!

When we make the choice to home school as our friends and neighbors send their kids to "good" public schools or private schools, we might feel at times as though we're being dealt the "left overs."  We aren't part of the traditional loop.  We aren't gathering with other moms at the corner bus stop.  We aren't included in PTA gossip.  We don't engage in the same conversations about home work and projects and test scores as we gather poolside each summer to watch our kids swim and play.  But, just as the Lord turned a seemingly barren Canaan into a blessing for Abraham, so he takes what can feel like "left overs" (or isolation) and turns it into a blessing for us.  In that rocky land of home schooling we find ourselves curled up on the couch on a rainy afternoon, snuggling with our kids as we read a favorite book.  In that seemingly barren land, we experience the joy of being able to wake up on a beautiful spring day and abandon workbooks for the morning and take a nature walk with our kids and any dear friends that might want to tag along.  We learn, right along with our children, as we explore the mysteries of history and science....and come away infinitely richer for the priviledge of being blessed with these little ones and equipped by God to teach them.

I don't know about other home schoolers, but I've found that the more time I spend on this wonderful journey called home schooling, the less tempted I am by any desire I once had to be "of the world."  The Lord, in his infinite goodness, has taken care of that.