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Homeschool Helps
by Mike McHugh
As a home school parent caught up in the daily tasks of life, it is not often that I consider the question “What is my child’s greatest need?” More often than I would like to admit, my efforts on behalf of my children would seem to suggest that their primary need is to be equipped to succeed in the world. Modern child psychologists would often be quick to insist that the ultimate need of a child is to learn how to be happy by learning how to love himself. The topic of sin and its remedy is commonly regarded by these so-called experts as both unnecessary and detrimental to young minds, for it is assumed that this issue will undermine a child’s self-esteem.
It is interesting to note, however, that the Word of God never once commands any human being to love himself. On the contrary, the Bible directs us to love God and our neighbor. A careful study of Holy Scripture and human history will reveal the fact that the major problem with fallen man is his tendency to love himself too much. The true condition of mankind is set forth in the Gospel of Christ as it declares that all people are born dead in trespasses and sins and, therefore, must be “born again” from above.
Contrary to this truth stands the self-love crowd who is seeking to encourage our nation’s youth to think more highly of themselves than they ought to think, and to spend little or no time considering the vital subject of their eternal destiny. How easy it is to forget that the greatest need of any child is to find peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Home school parents who have a burden for the souls of children must, therefore, rally around the old rugged cross and point their children in the direction of the Savior who bled and died to pay the penalty for their sins! The greatest and most necessary blessing that any parent can give his children, is to lead them to the point of recognizing their need for the salvation that is found only in Jesus Christ.
The story that follows, can be utilized by any home school parent who desires to give their children a solid understanding of the inner workings of the heart of fallen men, with all of its deception and corruption. This story, written in the nineteenth century by Jacob Abbott, will help children to see that their greatest need is to be freed from the guilt and burden of sin, so that they may secure loving fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not, after all, love of self that will satisfy the deepest longings of a child’s heart. The plain truth is that a youngster becomes genuinely happy only after he is able to embrace the truth that a loving relationship with Christ is the sole foundation for lasting peace and joy.
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