Homeschool in the Fear of the Lord
Last October Ray and I spent two weeks traveling through North Carolina, meeting with homeschoolers across the state.
One of the blessings of being at the convention yesterday was getting to see some of them.
Our theme last October was “Homeschool Without Fear.” That is my prayer for each of you. A sweet conversation in our booth today prompts me to remind you to homeschool without fear–or better yet, to homeschool with healthy fear. Homeschool in the fear of the Lord.
I have noticed a tendency for homeschooling children to spend more and more time away from their parents. Many things prompt this tendency. Some are good; some are not so good. I think one of the “not so good” reasons is unhealthy fear in the hearts of parents–fear of what others will think if our children are not involved in this or that; fear that we don’t have what it takes to teach our children well ourselves; fear that our children won’t listen to us and will listen to someone else better.
Our children need us. They need our teaching.
Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Psalm 34:11
What better place for children to learn the fear of the Lord than at their mamas’ and daddies’ knees? And just think of the advantages our children have when they learn it!
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;Â
Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:7
We want our children to gain knowledge and to be teachable. Teaching our children to be teachable under our teaching will give them an advantage in so many areas of their lives. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Mature adults are teachable in their marriages, in their parenting, at work, and at church.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;Â
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments;Â
His praise endures forever.
Psalm 111:10
The goal of our children’s instruction is wisdom and understanding and obedience to God’s commandments.
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true;
they are righteous altogether.
Psalm 19:9
We want our children to live clean lives in truth and righteousness.
The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverted mouth, I hate.
Proverbs 8:13
We want our children not to be prideful or arrogant, but to be humble. We want them not to walk in the evil way, but to walk in righteousness. We want their mouths to speak true and wholesome words.
In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And his children will have refuge.
Proverbs 14:26
We want our children to be confident. We want them to find refuge in the Lord.
The fear of the Lord leads to life,
So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.
Proverbs 19:23
We want our children to live full lives and to sleep peacefully. We want their lives to be untouched by evil.
To meet these worthy and lofty goals, we must teach our children to fear the Lord–in purposeful word and purposeful example–as we sit in our houses and walk by the way, when we lie down and when we rise up
Let all the earth fear the Lord;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
Psalm 33:8
Thank you for such encouragement in this post. Our family used the Notgrass World History curriculum this year. It prompted such wonderful family discussions each day. We entered into the high school years this year not sure what to expect. Do you have any thoughts for a mom of a high schooler who really strives to serve the Lord through her life as a homeschooler but can’t seem to find a connection with others her age? God bless your family and the curriculum you offer.