The Christian Homeschool-The Indispensable Key

Our homeschooling journey began 12 years ago when I had a neighbors daughter who was attending the local elementary school nearby came knocking on my door. "Hi Crystal, come on in." I welcomed her into our tiny little apartment. At the time my only daughter was only 4. Crystal had been coming over frequently and I had been blessed with the chance to share what I was learning in the Bible with her. But today she looked distressed.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Quickly she told me that she did not want to return to school, when asked why she stated the girls in her school had brought a gun. A gun? In elementary school? She did not feel safe. She said the girls did not like her and she was afraid. Tears welled in her eyes. She did NOT want to go back.

Girls with guns? Are you kidding? Remind you this was before all the school shootings like Columbine had taken place and before they began to place machines in schools to check for weapons.

This would be the same school I would be enrolling my only daughter in the following year.....in other words after hearing this---there was NO WAY she would be enrolling.

I had already been teaching her at home since she was two, because I was trying to see if I could really do this 'homeschool' thing that I had been learning about. When I first heard about homeschooling I laughed and quoted the infamous line--"Theres no way I could ever do that!" But after much prayer we felt the Lord leading us to it. Now we have been going steady for 14 years and seven more children later.


I am sharing this story with you because I want you to know how homeschooling has become an indispensable key to our family as we raise our children. What first started out as a safety measure, turned out to be a delightful journey as we soon learned that homeschooling offered many desirable variables such as teaching our children the Word without contradictory teaching, a chance to offer a better education, an opportunity to really get to know our children and for them to bond with their siblings, and platform to shepherd and disciple them with more hours in the day to do so, going at their own pace in subjects whether that be quicker or slower than the average classroom, liberty to teach different subjects, freedom from being enslaved to another's schedule and protecting them from unnecessary negative peer socialization. There's so much more I could add but will save this for another time.

I am sharing this in The Christian Mother Series because I want to share our experience of this wonderful option of giving our children a Christian education. Above all, I think homeschooling provides the priceless advantage of mentoring and discipling your children which is a challenge when your children are gone from you most of the day. Think about it, if you aren't doing this, who is? I think the media have proven time and time again that even teachers and classmates cannot to be entrusted with such a holy responsibility. Pastor Voddie Baucham recently wrote an excellent article making the case for Christian education that is truly a must read entitled Top Five Reasons Why Not To Send Your Children Back to Government Schools to get us all thinking outside the box.


While I am a strong advocate for homeschooling, I would like to add a word of caution. Many times parents look at homeschooling as their savior--thinking it will solve all their problems. Homeschooling is definitely an indispensable key and an invaluable one at that, however, it is only a' bridge' to accomplish the means to an end. See, it is a 'tool' that we use to accomplish the purposes that we want to see fulfilled in our children. We can homeschool and still raise rebellious, God-hating children, I have seen it happen. We can homeschool and give our children a poor education. The difference is in our willingness to train ourselves to apply diligence and wisdom. This is imperative is we desire to be the best mentors and teachers to them.

This post is absolutely NOT about judging those who public school or those who teach in the system, don't assume that for one minute. I am a product of public schooling so I speak from those experiences. This post is about offering an alternative to those who are seeking such. It is about rethinking and educating ourselves about the options that are available. It is about teaching and shepherding our children in whatever Christian environment we find best for them and for our family it happens to be homeschooling.

So, Mothers, let us evaluate the Christian education we are giving our children---whatever means we use-- and pray and ask God for wisdom in the vitally important area so our children will not be lacking. We must share with them our Christian heritage and teach them the Word so that this generation will not forsake Him.

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." --James 1:5

(The Christian Mother Series, Part 8)