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God’s Plan for Safe Investments
Despite the ongoing flood of bad economic news, your most important investment — your children — remain safe and secure in God’s plan for their home schooling. Each day as their teacher, you make valuable spiritual and academic deposits that will bring growth and future returns you cannot imagine. No hedge fund manager extraordinaire, CFO, or stock market guru can begin to compete with you in terms of managing precious "investments." The daily seeds you plant now in your children will result in a windfall of unmatched eternal riches no earthly form can measure up to. Discipling our children — that is what God calls us to do. What better way than the privilege of home schooling. "You will remember that all the end of study is to make you a good man and a useful citizen," said John Adams to son John Quincy. "This is the sum total of the advice of your affectionate father," he wrote in a letter. (John Adams, by David McCullough, pg. 260) Actually, that was not the only counsel either Mr. or Mrs. Adams provided. They spent their lives instilling godly character and a love of learning in their three children. Learning, though, was not attained by chance, but "must be sought for with ardor," instructed Abigail Adams in a letter to young sons Charles and John Quincy while they were abroad with their father. "Strive to excel...anything worth doing is worth doing well," she reminded them. (John Adams, pg. 256) Home schoolers would agree with that; however, some days do not go as well as planned. It’s part of the reality of home schooling. Perhaps you are tired, having spent a restless night worrying about family finances, your husband’s job, aging parents, a personal health problem, broken relationships, or simply how you are going to complete a mountain of home schooling and household tasks, maybe even a part-time job you hold. Perhaps you stayed awake wondering if you are doing enough in your teaching. Are your students progressing as well and as far as they should? How can you better help them when they get frustrated or discouraged? What about when you feel the same way? How do you all press on no matter what life throws at you? On such days, you may feel like you need a bailout! But don’t look for a rescue from the government (e.g., public schools) or even the "unschooling" or "relaxed" home schooling methods, no matter what their proponents say. You will never go bankrupt with the vital home schooling investments you are making in your children today with the CLASS program. "There are incidences to the contrary; but generally speaking, the life of all truly great men has been a life of intense and incessant labor," said Sydney Smith. ("The Pleasures of Knowledge," World Literature, pg. 148) That is a foundational truth all serious home school teachers and students must accept. It is a big responsibility being the educational and spiritual guidepost for your children. Even teachers from ancient times would agree. In the guidance and education of Alexander the Great, Sophocles said it was "a task of many bridles and rudders beside." As the parent/teacher, we are the bridle and rudders. We set the tone and model for the day the second we alight from bed with our chosen attitude. The Lord watches us go forth, hopefully with a demeanor of humble servanthood. He sees us in our weakness and fears, our hopes and dreams for our children, our accomplishments and setbacks. To meet each new day of challenges, we can use His three-pronged approach and achieve success no matter what happens in our home school day. Let us consider the story of Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego in the Book of Daniel as an inspirational example the Lord has given us of this approach. While their situation was a life-threatening confrontation with King Nebuchadnezzar, we can still relate. Foremost, these three young men displayed absolute commitment to God, and so must we. That demands complete obedience. There is no room for negotiation or compromise. They never waivered one iota in their godly commitment to a righteous course of action. Second, they had total confidence in God. They knew without a doubt that they could put their trust in God alone even when they didn’t know how things would turn out. Scary? Yes. But their choices and actions were not dependent upon whether or not something good happened. They went forward together in confidence. We must do likewise, foregoing any outcome-based track of expecting rewards at every turn. Simply continuing must sometimes be the sole prize. Finally, they showed complete courage. Shadrach, Meschah, and Abednego knew precisely that they were putting themselves in grave danger when they defied Nebuchadnezzar. Still, they went forward in self-sacrificing dedication to God. Have you ever considered that home schooling takes courage to persist and finish well? For some home schooling parents, the "danger" may be to succumb to feelings of discouragement or inadequacy; some do not even attempt home schooling because they feel so incapable. For others the danger may come not from within but without — familial or peer pressure to go to public school; uncomfortable or even hostile situations with relatives, friends, even neighbors who insist that you are turning your children into unsocialized, isolated freaks. Some home schooling moms may have spouses who are not supportive of home schooling and others whose spouses are, in theory, but have no clue as to what it takes day in and day out. Sometimes the danger comes from the home schooling parent in the form of poor planning, lack of organization or time management, and other bad habits that short circuit the process. The home schooling community is full of stories that fall into these and other categories. But when God is on your side, you can overcome the pitfalls. How can your investments for Him not succeed with dedicated effort when He is for you? Look around at what is going on today in our culture. Is there any doubt you’re not doing the right thing for your children and their legacy no matter what the difficulties of home schooling? "Posterity who are to reap the blessings will scarcely be able to conceive the hardships and sufferings of their ancestors," wrote Abigail Adams to her husband while snowed in alone on their farm with five children in January 1777 as Washington’s army made the best of severe winter weather. (John Adams, pg. 169) Abigail was talking about the tremendous sacrifices of not only the soldiers and political leaders but also their families in the struggle for our nation’s independence. She and her husband knew first-hand about personal trials and heartache throughout their lives. Their oldest son Charles died an alcoholic after leaving his wife and children. "...her (Abigail’s) own and the President’s private days and frequent sleepless nights were deeply troubled by the sad fate of their alcoholic son….Nothing she had been able to say to Charles had had any effect...Yet I am wounded to the soul by the consideration of what is to become of him." (John Adams, pg. 548) Nabby, their daughter, heroically suffered through mastectomy surgery (without an anesthetic) and a few years later died a painful death from it. Another son, Thomas, was thrown from his horse and nearly crippled. During John Quincy’s appointment as minister to Russia, he and wife Louisa Catherine lost their daughter, not the only Adams grandchild to die. In 1813 despite numerous deaths in his extended family, John Adams wrote to Thomas Jefferson, "The love of God and His creation, delight, joy, triumph, exultation in my own existence...are my religion." (John Adams, pg. 614) The Adams had financial problems, too. Most of what they "had managed to save over the years — $13,000 — had been invested with the London banking house of Bird, Savage & Bird, bankers for the United States Treasury. It had seemed an entirely prudent step. But in 1803, the house of Bird, Savage & Bird collapsed, leaving the Adamses on the brink of ruin." (John Adams, pg. 576) Do these stories of struggle sound familiar? Indeed, we can remember with profound gratefulness the godly people, many of whom home schooled their children, who built this country on Christian principles. Their faith and ability to lean on God in times of dramatic turmoil, change, and suffering should provide ample testimony and help us to realize that the many years in between do not separate similar shared experiences. Certainly John and Abigail Adams, like others, looked to Bible stories like that of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as a source of inspiration, guidance, and wisdom. As life’s unforeseen events assail us, we too can emulate those three young men who displayed a united "family" front and godly force against the fiery furnace of King Nebuchadnezzar. They trusted God and courageously went forward, absolutely confident in their commitment and obedience to Him that all would turn out as it should, as He planned. Linda B. Baker, the author of this article, is in her sixth year of home schooling with CLASS. Her son is a sophomore. |
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