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by Mike McHugh
“…Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62
“That’s it! I quit!” Precious few home educators have not made these kind of remarks, or at least had these type of thoughts, during the course of their home school endeavors. Most home school parents come to realize all too quickly that it is much easier to begin home education than to finish it well. For the Christian home educator, the ability to persevere in a noble cause must ultimately be seen as a gift from God. As Holy Scripture so plainly declares, “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it:” Psalm 127:1a
So, the question is: How can a home school parent discern if they are prepared to persevere in their calling to train up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord? The five principles or characteristics listed below should be considered vital by home educators who are committed to persevering in their task.
1. A Future-Oriented Vision
Survival in Christian education of any kind demands a vision to see that the goal of child training is quite literally out of this world. Parents that permit themselves to be brought to the place where they can no longer see that their children’s souls must be molded and prepared for the time in the future when they will need to stand before their Maker, have lost their vision and are vulnerable to attack. As the Bible declares: “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18)
In addition, a future-oriented vision provides comfort and strength to God fearing parents for they labor in the knowledge that if they remain faithful to the Lord’s commands they will some day hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” (Matthew 25:23)
2. Patience Till The Harvest
How often parents miss out on God’s richest blessings, because they become impatient to see more evidence of progress in their children. Like the gold miner who gives up a few yards before striking “pay dirt”, many home educators abandon their calling to biblical child training just before the blessings flow. The Word of God is in earnest as it promises, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.” (Galatians 6:9)
3. Trust In God’s Sovereign Mercy
Only those home school parents who trust in the sure mercies of Almighty God, are equipped to pursue their labors with hope and confidence. It must be every Christian parent’s firmest conviction that God desires for him to succeed in his child training efforts. Only those soldiers that possess an unwavering hope in the midst of the battle, will be able to exhibit the courage to follow their orders unto the end. The battle cry, therefore, of every home educator must be “If God be for us, who can be against us?”
4. Unwavering Joy
Who has more reason for joy in this life than the people of God? It is, after all, the joy of the Lord that keeps us pressing forward in the strength of the Lord. Christian home educators are not laboring for victory; but in the victory of the One who declared “…Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.” The lack of stability in many home schools can be traced, at least in part, to the failure of parents to cultivate a spirit of joy in their households. Paul and Barnabas sang, even when they were in prison. So must we, when our time of trial and testing is upon us.
5. A Fervent Prayer Life
It is quite possible that the reason why a significant number of home educators are unable to make it to the finish line is because they have neglected to regularly ask God for the grace to finish well. The Scripture makes it clear that we often have not because we ask not. If home educators want to persevere to the end, they must pray without ceasing. Nothing done for Christ can truly prosper apart from prayer.
It is my prayer that the Lord would use the simple biblical principles listed above to equip Christian parents to fight the good fight of faith, and to persevere in the education of their children in the way of Christ. May a growing number of parents be able to say, after their journey through home education is over, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, and, by God’s grace have kept the faith.”
Copyright 2007 Michael J. McHugh
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