By Dawn Hill – Lovesick Scribe
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:5-8 ESV
Over the past few years, I have had the privilege and opportunity to steward our oldest daughter’s education by homeschooling her. This was a decision my husband and I made years before we had children. We were both products of the public school system, and yet we both felt compelled to keep our children at home for instruction and education.
One of the things I enjoy about homeschooling is the freedom we have in studying various areas. We begin our day in school with a look at Scripture, and this may consist of her Sunday school lesson from church, a Biblical question about foundational beliefs, or reading a chapter in a particular book of the Bible and discussing it. We also spend time once a week being aware of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who are globally being persecuted for their faith, praying for them and for those who persecute them.
Our faith in Jesus Christ is vital to our family, and school presents a wonderful opportunity with a captive audience. Our daughter gets to think and to ask questions. I use opportunities to teach her what Scripture has to say when discussing world history and practices that took place, including ancient cultures who were polytheistic. I use wisdom as to what to share with her while recognizing I cannot shield her from the things of this world. As her parent and her teacher, I become her first line of natural defense and understanding, teaching her the ways of the Lord and His instruction while sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with her in daily life and the value of God’s holy Word.
As parents, we are to be proactive in teaching our children and in instructing them in God’s ways. I pray our children can say as the psalmist did in Psalm 71:17, “O God, you have taught me from my youth, and to this day I proclaim Your marvelous deeds.” Even if you do not homeschool, invest in your children spiritually and Biblically.
