Conventional Wisdom

In the Bible, David is placed before us as one who sometimes had to encourage himself, and that is where I find myself each time I re-read my own post. Every blue moon I find the right scripture, the right memory, and I manage to stumble upon words that allow it to resonate with me again and again. I thought to share them and prayerfully encourage you, too. Would you mind if I jumped right into our word for today (smile)?

In Acts 10-11, Peter’s vision of the unclean meats led him to begin to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. He was questioned and ridiculed by his peers, but he stayed with what the Lord told Him to do. What courage and conviction it takes to step out in what you believe regardless of what friends say. I’ve had a chance to think about this myself on an individual level. What would my old friends, and even my parents, now gone to glory, say about my current lifestyle?

My mom: “Never put yourself in position to depend upon a man.” (This was based largely upon her horrid experience with her first husband, before she met my father).

My dad: “You quit that good job?”

Friend #1: “You have how many kids? What’s the matter with your TV?”

Friend #2: “You’re doing what? After all those years in school?”

Friend #3/ family: “Are you guys going to homeschool all the way through high school? What about the prom? How are your kids going to get into college?”

Conventional wisdom tells us to complete high school, complete college, get a job, work 30-40 years (or until you are laid off enough times to lose complete faith in the economy), then retire and live a few golden years before you die. The media builds upon this conventional wisdom with even more dismal images: obnoxious, ungrateful children who don’t love, much less respect, anything or anybody; if a husband is there, he is an unintelligent buffoon who sits like furniture in front of the television, and whose only contribution to the family is a paycheck. Job showed Godly wisdom when he prayed for his friends and their conventional wisdom instead of operating in like kind and cursing them all.

I remember years ago when we began to homeschool, my sister sent a birthday card to her ‘unique, one of a kind’ sister, who ‘broke the mold.’ We laughed about it later when I shared with her that I wear that label as a badge of honor. I have a gift of faith—a supernatural ability to believe God—but for years I allowed people to stop me. I have increasingly freed myself from the boundaries and limitations of conventional wisdom, and I’ve found the road less traveled by to be far more rewarding.

Here are some of my most precious treasures (on most days):

• a husband who loves being around us, hates to be away for too long, and when he travels, often tries to figure out a way for us to tag along
• kids who are respectful to us and to others, who laugh with and love each other
• a family who is blessed to have everything we need and most of what we want amidst our sacrifice

There is so much fruit to this way of living.   As we enter the season of welcoming others to the homeschooling community, let us not forget that we are blessed, wherever we are.

Belinda Bullard is a wife and homeschooling mother of three, Belinda is an author and the owner of A Blessed Heritage Educational Resources, a literature-based history curriculum featuring African-American presence in history, as well as the contributions of other races to American history. A chemical engineer by formal education, she also serves as adjunct faculty for college distance learning programs.

Tags: christian living, conventional wisdom, courage for God's plan, Encouragement, Fruitful living, Godly wisdom, Scripture, wisdom

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