By Eric Engle
The other day I was considering Christian homeschooling and the significance of it in our homes and our society. Why do we homeschool? To protect our children from the world’s evil influences, to pull them out of the low academic standards of the public school system, to keep them from being bullied and to instill good moral values; all of which are great reasons. As we look down the road several years from now, who wouldn’t be pleased with a son or daughter who received high grades, was protected from emotional and physical harm and did not get involved with the world’s garbage, plus they had a very high moral standard? Employers love this well rounded, well taught employee. Grandparents love this well adjusted, well mannered young person. Satan is especially pleased with these accomplishments, because the more we esteem these attributes, the less we have need for the Savior. When Satan tempted Eve in the garden he twisted the Word of God just slightly to stumble her. Not a complete lie, just a slight move from the center of God’s Word. Was she paying attention? Or was she consumed with peripheral issues to miss the heart of God’s word? Satan’s best tactic is to get us close enough to the truth that we feel comfortable and safe enough to miss the true message where God is alive in our hearts and truly the King of kings and Lord of lords.
There are times that I have mislabeled a Mormon as a Christian, thinking they may be a believer because of their moral standards, ethics, and demeanor. Do they look that much like a Christian that at first glance it’s hard to tell the difference? Or have we adopted the world’s standard of what a Christian should look like, that it’s hard to differentiate between darkness and light? What are we teaching our children? When I tell someone in the world that we homeschool, they say “that’s great”, stating some of the reasons mentioned above. I justify in my heart that those are great reasons. But who am I fooling? Only myself. Although I want my children to get good grades, be protected, and have good character, those are poor reasons to homeschool if I am missing the primary focus of FIRST training my children to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30 Because if they learn that… and live it out loud for the Lord, there will be no mistaking who they are, and more importantly “whose they are”.
“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 1 Cor 3:11-13
So why do you homeschool? Or better yet…Whom do you homeschool for?
