A Message for You, Precious Homeschooling Mama
Precious Homeschooling Mama,
I admire you. You love your children deeply and make daily sacrifices to do what you believe is best for them. You are one of my heroines. I know that there are days when you don’t feel like a heroine at all. On those days you need encouragement.
Blessed Art Thou Among Women
photograph by Gertude Kasebier
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
I’d like to offer you some encouragement from Titus 2:3-5 where Paul gives instructions about godly characteristics and behavior for older women and for younger women. Though these verses give wisdom for all women, there are specific lessons here for homeschooling mamas.
Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior,
not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine,
teaching what is good,
so that they may encourage the young women
to love their husbands, to love their children,
to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind,
being subject to their own husbands,
so that the word of God will not be dishonored.Â
Titus 2:3-5
Over the next few days, I want to share specific lessons from Titus 2:3-5 to encourage and help you as you homeschool your children.
Paul speaks first about older women. As I write this to you, I speak as an older woman. If you were to look at my driver’s license, you would know for certain that I fall into that category. A popular phrase in my 1960s youth was, “Don’t trust anyone over 30!” I was born in 1953, so I passed that 30 mark years ago. Should you trust me?
I am not writing to you as an expert. I’m just a fallible woman who has lived and loved, gained and lost, failed and succeeded, sinned and been forgiven—for a long time. I am not at all like Mary Poppins—practically perfect in every way. I am more like Jo in Little Women—hopelessly flawed.
Hopelessly flawed, but not hopeless. Jesus took care of all of my hopeless flaws on the Cross. Yours, too.
The lessons for older women and younger women in Titus 2 are applicable for all mamas. Let’s look at the first one: reverent behavior. What does it mean to be reverent? I looked it up on the Merriam-Webster website, which defines reverent as worshipful. Jesus told us that to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength is our top priority. The natural result of this love for God is not a somber piety, but joyful, respectful worship.
Just as loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength is our top priority personally, it must be the top priority in our homeschool. We know Who we are to worship joyfully and respectfully as individuals, but sometimes we are tempted to worship other things inadvertently when it comes to our children’s education. We can worship grades and success. We can worship the good opinion of other people. We can even worship methodologies and curriculum.
As we begin this new year, let’s be committed every day to being:
Reverent in [our] behavior.
Titus 2:3