God Was Homeschooling ME

Posted by Debbie | 0 comments

Everyone does chemistry in high school, right? As we thought about it, prayed about it, and considered the future, we decided that we were not called to do chemistry. There were other science courses that were just as challenging but more appropriate for my children’s interests and abilities that also kept our scholarship plans on track. This was a radical revelation.

The typical course of study is just that, typical. Our children, like your children, are not typical. They have callings and directions from God that transcend the typical. The only problem was that typical comforted me. It kept me from feeling too weird. As I have said many times in the past, I was homeschooling my children, now teenagers, but God was homeschooling me. Was there more than one way to do this thing called high school? Was there room in the landscape for an individualized program that not only fit our family but also prepared my children for the future? The answer was a resounding yes.

Christian homeschoolers serve a big God with a perfect plan. The testimonies from my life as a young person and student, wife, mother, and ultimately homeschooler all support this idea. If our minds direct our thoughts, we can end up in panic and worry. If our hearts direct them, we have access to peace and direction.  The worries of the world can assail us when it comes to high school. What about transcripts? What about college? What if my child doesn’t write as well as I think he should? The burdens of these responsibilities are heavy indeed. However, the real question is, are they your burdens?

The child you raised, the child you homeschooled was a stewardship opportunity. As God’s precious child, the Father remains responsible for the plans that He has made for him. (Psalm 139) He will bring along the perfect course, co-op, or tutor. It is His job to provide and your job to ask for that provision. God delights in meeting the needs of His people, so don’t give your children second best. Now is not the time to take the reins of control back from the Lord and try to do it yourself. He will see you through this stage as He has seen you through the others because He promises to do so. (I Thess. 5:24) The calling to homeschool was His, so the job of seeing it done is His as well.

Debbie Strayer is a veteran educator, speaker, author and home educator. She enjoys spending time with her husband of thirty years and her grown children.

Dr. Ruth Beechick, too, has spent many years teaching and writing on education. She specializes in curriculum and in how children learn. She is mother of two and grandmother of four and loves working together with Debbie because they think alike on education matters. For more books and articles, see debbiestrayer.com.