Love Jesus with all of your heart.
May we be so confident in how the Spirit is leading our brothers and sisters in Christ that we are not just okay with, but are actually thrilled at the possibility of Him calling, allowing, and enabling others to make different schooling choices than us.
If you pack your child’s lunch and drop them off at the bus stop —
love Jesus with all of your heart.
If you have entered into the lifestyle of teaching your children at home —
love Jesus with all of your heart.
It couldn’t be simpler, yet here we are shackling ourselves (and imprisoning others) to our preferences.
I have talked with moms who are paralyzed at the thought of telling their friends they have chosen to go the public school route for fear they will be left out—the wrath of homeschooling moms descends. I have talked with another who is convinced that public school is the only real way to live as a light in the world—the public school mom’s public shaming spills over.
I have talked with moms who are paralyzed at the thought of telling their friends they have chosen to go the public school route for fear they will be left out—the wrath of homeschooling moms descends. I have talked with another who is convinced that public school is the only real way to live as a light in the world—the public school mom’s public shaming spills over.
Burdens are heaped, needlessly. I have met others, like myself, who never in a million years dreamed of homeschooling their children, yet here we are because we feel it is what we have been called to in this season. Still, I have met parents who have initially homeschooled, but have now chosen to send their children to school, because they feel it is what they have been called to in this season.
May we not draw a line where there isn't one, believer. May we not elevate the freedom to choose how our children are educated to the level of first importance (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). May we not allow our identity in Christ to be overtaken and swallowed up by our academic preferences.
Homeschooling is not the gospel. It often presents many opportunities to regularly serve others in the community and learn catechisms and memorize verses —but it can not save your children.
Public (or private) school is not the gospel. It often provide endless opportunities on fields, classrooms, and performances to stand for truth and shine brightly in a dark world—but it can not save your children.
Whatever your choice may be, it is not a blanket statement or a “one size fits all.” Schooling choice does not transcend the culture you’re born into, point in time you live, or the circumstances surrounding you. But the gospel is and the gospel does. The gospel is a blanket statement for those who believe, a “one size fits all” who come to the Lord. No one is cast out. No one is rejected if they truly want Jesus. The gospel does transcend the circumstances we find ourselves, the culture or country we are born into, and the point we live on a timeline. And it is only the gospel that can actually save your children because it is only the gospel that is the power of God for salvation—your academic decisions are not (Romans 1:16).
So homeschool family or public school family, love Jesus with all of your heart. That is our aim. And may we be found faithful to teach our children to live out the kindness of Christ and have the freedom of the gospel on their lips in the locker room or at the library, in passing period or at poetry tea time, at cross-country practice or at co-op.
Public (or private) school is not the gospel. It often provide endless opportunities on fields, classrooms, and performances to stand for truth and shine brightly in a dark world—but it can not save your children.
Whatever your choice may be, it is not a blanket statement or a “one size fits all.” Schooling choice does not transcend the culture you’re born into, point in time you live, or the circumstances surrounding you. But the gospel is and the gospel does. The gospel is a blanket statement for those who believe, a “one size fits all” who come to the Lord. No one is cast out. No one is rejected if they truly want Jesus. The gospel does transcend the circumstances we find ourselves, the culture or country we are born into, and the point we live on a timeline. And it is only the gospel that can actually save your children because it is only the gospel that is the power of God for salvation—your academic decisions are not (Romans 1:16).
So homeschool family or public school family, love Jesus with all of your heart. That is our aim. And may we be found faithful to teach our children to live out the kindness of Christ and have the freedom of the gospel on their lips in the locker room or at the library, in passing period or at poetry tea time, at cross-country practice or at co-op.
Love Jesus with all your heart, and encourage the parent heading to the carpool today. Love Jesus with all your heart, and encourage the one who has her curriculum on the kitchen table. We are not wearing different uniforms nor are we on a different team. We are one, if you are in the body of Christ. And what a blessed thing it is when believers dwell in unity, especially over the diversity of education.
Quote on my blackboard taken from Melissa Kruger's children's book, “Wherever You Go, I Want You to Know”
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| Click the picture to add this book to your library! |
So if I can adapt the poem for us today :
"...However you school,
No matter your part,
I pray you love Jesus
with all of your heart.”
"One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to god, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God."
