Mar. 17, 2008 - The Most Important Lesson in Our Homeschool
The Most Important Lesson
In Our Homeschool
We have lots of curriculum in our homeschool. We have the usual; math, language arts, science, history, foreign language, etc. We attend workshops and co-ops. We have our son participate in band and sports. We go on great field trips and do hands-on activities. We are active in our church, volunteer at the homeless shelter and participate in various ministries. We live a full life.
Someone once asked me what my favorite subject was to teach. Boy, that was a hard one, I love science and history. The more I thought about it though; I realized that my favorite subject to teach my son is something way beyond what any curriculum could teach him. The most important lesson in my homeschool is to teach him about God and how to have a real relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It’s the responsibility of Christian parents to help their kids to know the Lord. Its part of who we are as parents and the promise we made to God when He gave us our precious children to train up for Him. I have heard parents say that it is the church’s responsibility to do spiritual training, isn’t that a bit like saying it’s the governments responsibility to teach academics to our children? Who better for your child to learn about a relationship with God than from you?
My husband and I try to model our relationship with the Lord in front of our family. We have family nights where we play a game, pick a favorite meal and do bible devotions together. During school hours, we start our day in prayer, read a daily devotion for kids, work through various character studies, Christian worldview curriculum and individual bible studies. My son and I both have our own bible study book which we do at the table together. My husband and I believe it is good for our son to see us doing our bible reading & meditation and for him to participate in one of his own as well. There are lots of good bible study books for kids available. Let your child help pick one out. Another great way to study the bible together is to pick a passage and have someone in the family read it aloud. Then pray together asking the Holy Spirit to lay a verse upon your heart to share. Everyone should have a prayer journal and write down the scripture that the Lord gave to you. If your child is too young to write, he can dictate to you or he can draw a picture of the verse. Have everyone share what verse the Lord gave them and what it means to them. Pray as a family and ask the Lord to show His will through the verses shared in the following week and then follow up by talking about how God fulfilled His promise. This is a great way for children to experience the Lord God through His word!
Prayer. Talking with God. What a privilege that is to be able to talk to God, the Creator of everything, to Jesus who walked on the earth! There is something amazing that happens when children pray. They experience God’s love for them. They see the miracles that often go unnoticed in life. I grew up in a Christian home and went to a Christian school. My parents took us to church on Sundays, were youth group advisors and we said our goodnight & dinner prayers but that is as much of a spiritual life that I can remember. I went out into the world in my late teens with a hole in my heart. I did not have a real relationship with the Lord. I tried to fill it in ways that were not of God. I was a believer, but I did not have a personal relationship with the Living God. Thankfully, I was able to recommit my life to the Lord and start living fuller in Him in my late 20’s. My husband was raised in a church as well, but never really felt close to God until he was grown.
We want more than that for our son. We want him to know how to talk to God and to do it often. We want that relationship to come naturally to him. We want to raise him to be the spiritual leader in his family. We want him to have a special relationship with the Lord when he leaves our home so he won’t be looking for other ways to fill that hole. We want him to know God intimately while he grows up.
How do we do it? We pray a lot and we make sure our son does too. We pray to the Holy Spirit to help us when we are afraid. We pray when we have lost something and request that the Holy Spirit help us find it (and usually God will direct our steps right to the missing item!) so he gets to see that God cares about the little things too. We pray for the difficult friend that is “mean” and he sees how God changes the child’s heart. We pray when we get into the car for our guardian angels through Christ Jesus to protect us and keep us safe. We pray for our neighborhood and for those that we love to be safe. We pray when we hear about a friend that is sick and we have experienced miracles before our eyes of healings through prayer. We pray throughout the day, whenever we want to talk to God, thanking Him for a blessing or just giving Him glory for all He does for us. We pray together over our finances or lack thereof. As parents, we want our son to see our dependence on God’s provisions, even when times are tough and we are struggling. Together, we pray for each other often.
We are firm believers of impromptu prayers. We pray over our meals at restaurants. We pray when we are driving (keeping our eyes open of course!) when we see someone in an accident or ambulance. We stretch out our hands and pray for the elderly man we see on the street. We candidly talk about God’s will in our lives. We sing praises in our home and car. Our radios are always on Christian stations. These are prayers too! It is so heartwarming to hear our son singing a praise song with all of his heart. The music speaks to him and he is able to experience God’s love through the music.
A few years ago, I was very sick with anxiety. A good friend told my husband to pray Psalms over me as they are very healing. Our son was able to witness this devotion and healing power in the Word. One night, when my husband was at work, I had another anxiety attack. My son immediately went and got his bible and began to read Psalms over me. Because of his father’s example, he was confident to pray for me. He gets it. God showed grace and mercy towards me and rewarded me with emotional health. My son learned a very valuable lesson that he can be of service to the Lord and make a difference with prayer. Thank you Lord.
Do I get it right all the time? No, of course not! There have been many times when I blew it. Thankfully, God gives us grace and unconditional forgiveness through His dying on the cross for us and His rising again to live in our hearts. I am sure there is a lesson in there as well about how we, as parents, make mistakes too and how God forgives us. Thank you Jesus, that I don’t have to be perfect to teach my son about Your love and a hope for our future!
So, what is my favorite subject to teach? The Lord gave me this verse, “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul and mind”, Matthew 22:37. That is the most important lesson we can teach in our homeschool!
Be blessed in the love of Jesus this Easter season! He lives!
In Christ,
Tammy Carroll
2008
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Mar. 21, 2007 - Easter
The Real Meaning of Easter
Ahhhh, spring is here. I enjoy watching the birds nesting, baby lambs frolicking in a meadow; almond blossoms decorate the trees with bright pink petals, and spring-cleaning my house.
Warm weather beckons us to pack away our drab winter clothes and start wearing bright new colors. We start to anticipate the day when we can romp outside with the kids, take hikes in the mountains, picnic with our friends near a river while a cool breeze washes over us and the sun warms our skin. We think of a new beginning, a fresh start, and a freedom to enjoy our life outside of the dark, blustery, stormy months of winter.
Isn’t it ironic that just after Valentines Day, the stores are displaying their Easter celebration goodies? Store shelves are laden with jellybeans, Easter egg decorations, and baskets filled with toys, plastic grass of many colors and my personal favorite, chocolate bunnies (I always eat the ears first!). Thinking back to my childhood, I remember the many Easter egg hunts, dying eggs, and that frilly new dress with shiny white patent leather shoes that my mother bought for me to wear to church on Easter Sunday. I grew up in a Christian family, but I don’t remember the main focus of the celebration being about Jesus’ Resurrection. For many in the secular world, spring simply means rebirth.
So what about you, is this what your walk with Christ is like? Do you relate to Christ as a celebration of rebirth? Are you born-again? Do you see His dying on the cross for your sins and giving His unconditional forgiveness and mercy as a shedding of the dark and gaining a new freedom of enjoyment and protection in life with Him?
As Christians we are so privileged to have this opportunity to personally know the Creator of the universe. God listens to our deepest secrets and guides us to make the right decisions in our life. We hear His voice both in His word and in our hearts. We know where we will live after we pass from this earth for all eternity. We have that reassurance BECAUSE Christ died for us, rose again and we have asked Him into our hearts and lives.
I think of Easter as being the most important holiday of the year. Not only did Jesus die on the cross for our sins, but also He came alive again! What a miracle! No other religion can boast of a Savior, a precious, loving God that was resurrected from the dead for the common man to be saved and to go on to have a living personal relationship with the risen Lord on a daily basis.
So, what do we think about all of this commercialism surrounding our most precious Christian holiday? Personally, I like to send out Easter cards to my family and friends as this gives me the perfect opportunity to witness to them and share the good news about the true meaning of Easter, Christ’s love for us and His Resurrection from the grave. We experience the secular celebrations all around us, reminding us that we need to be spreading the news about God’s love, mercy and everlasting life in Him. We should be talking about how our Lord died on the cross so we may be forgiven of our sins and how He rose from the dead to be seated with our Heavenly Father until we can be with Him. And we should be talking about it early in they year, not just at Easter or Christmas.
If I had to do it all over again, I would rethink my stance on the whole Easter Bunny and other fictitious characters that surround our Christian holidays. Bottom line, I want my son to really understand the true meaning of Easter. I want my family and friends to know why Easter is so important to me and why it should be for them as well. Yes, the stores have it right on a couple of accounts; Easter is about rebirth and a celebration. A season of starting over. For me and my house, Easter is about repenting, forgiveness, thanking God for taking our suffering so we can live eternally and for rising again from the grave to be our friend, our Heavenly Father who loves us so much, our confidant, our guide in life, for sending his Holy Spirit to help us live our lives for Him in times of need.
So, next time you shop at a store where the commercialism is overwhelming, remember that they are pushing their products early to get you thinking about purchasing that special gift. We as Christians need to put our experiences and beliefs in Christ Jesus out there in the world to help our lost friends and families think about the ultimate gift that God gave us. We are called to plant the seeds for Him. This is our season to remind ourselves of who we are in Him and lead others to Christ. Go out this Easter season and be bold in your convictions. I wish you a Happy Easter in Christ Jesus.
In Christ’s Love,
Tammy Carroll
