CHRISTIAN HOMESCHOOLING BEGINS WITH CHRIST

Relate to Your Own Education
Part 3 of 3

Christian Homeschooling Articles Series Themes:

1. Relationship
   • Relate to the Lord
     • Live a Genuine Christian Life Before Your Children
   • Relate to Your Particular Child
     • Avoid Pigeonholing
       
   • Relate to the Whole Person, Part 1
     • Relate to the Whole Person, Part 2
       
   • Relate to Your Own Education, Introduction
     
     • Season 1: A Renewed Mind
       
     • Season 2: A Revived Heart
       
     • Season 3: A Prospering Soul (This article)
       
2. Stewardship
3. Scholarship
4. Easy Recordkeeping
   

Please read these Christian homeschooling articles first:

• Introduction
• Season 1: A Renewed Mind
• Season 2: A Revived Heart
  

A prospering soul is evaluative (will), discerning (mind), and content (emotions).

1. Evaluative

   When conflicts arose within my home or my public or private life, I learned to ask, “What are you teaching me, Lord?”

   Now when the Spirit corrected me, instead of the heart-wrenching repentance of my past, I had learned to trust Him and simply surrender. I repented before my children and before others I had offended in my ignorance.

   I also began evaluating how I homeschooled. Rather than hopping on the bandwagon and trying to copy what others were doing,

   • I spent the time getting to know my own children so I could meet their true needs and minister to them right where they are, just as God had done for me.

   • I learned to evaluate my own limits and created margin in my life.

2. Discerning
   • Wisdom through conflict. The conflicts weren’t so overwhelming to me now, although they still existed because, of course, I had other immature, young children to train. But the amazing thing to me is that I actually began to enjoy training my children using the “hot seat”, as my children have lovingly labeled this process. As I abided, the Lord provided me with His wisdom and discernment moment by moment.

     And if I did not have the wisdom for a particular situation, I knew it was time to evaluate where I needed to grow. I continued

     • studying Who He is in the Word.
     • praying by listening as much as petitioning (often listening more).
     • practicing the genuine Christian life through confession, repentance, and obedience.

   • Discernment for homeschooling.
     • I began to separate skill development from knowledge acquisition in my own mind, which lifted burdens often associated with carrying out the school aspect of homeschooling.

     • I didn’t need to exercise carnal control over my children; His gentle authority in my life overflowed from me to them.

       Now instead of forcing so much academically onto my children, I merely began to enjoy them.

       • We play-acted… a lot! (history)
       • We read… a lot! (imparting a Biblical worldview through science and history)
       • We cooked and cleaned together, as I brought them alongside me in my household duties. (gardening/science and geography as we cooked through the continents)

       I still implemented short deskwork times of academic-skill development for my younger ones but spent most of the day doing the three things listed above.

3. Content
   • Content with God’s faithfulness. And over the years, as my children matured into the academic high school years, they themselves began to love to study because they had developed a love of learning when they were younger in natural ways and through relational learning alongside my husband and me.

     As I watched them soar in independent study, my faith strengthened. Yes, when relationships at home were functioning well, school would flourish in later years. God’s faithfulness to teach me was producing the fruit I had desired from the beginning. God is the faithful One, always faithful, semper fidelis.

   • Content with God’s chastisement and discipline. At the beginning, I wanted my children to see Him in me and be drawn by His Spirit to His life, love, and liberty. Yes, Lord, You have answered my prayer beyond what I asked as I cooperated with you in obedience. Thank You, Lord!
     No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.
     Later on, however, it produces a harvest
     of righteousness and peace
     for those who have been trained by it.
     ~Hebrews 12:11

   • Content with God’s liberty. Because of His training me, I began to live within the liberty of Christ. No longer did the churches’, the school system’s, the world’s, or homeschoolers’ images draw me. I had become content (but not complacent) at home, with my homeschooling choices, and with the discipline of the Lord. He released me to love!
     Where the Spirit of the Lord [is],
     there [is] liberty.
     ~2 Corinthians 3:17

I hope you have benefited from this series of articles on mom’s growth through Christian homeschooling. Please feel free to contact me about any way I can improve this series or any other articles on this Christian website.

Thank you for sharing in my journey.

Additional articles related to the theme of Relationship:

• Relate to the Lord
  
  • Live a Genuine Christian Life Before Your Children
• Relate to Your Particular Child
  • Avoid Pigeonholing
    
• Relate to the Whole Person, Part 1
  • Relate to the Whole Person, Part 2

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