In Acts 13:36 states: "For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:"
This passage from the book of Acts should remind Christian home school parents of the fact that every soul born under heaven has a God-ordained destiny that he or she is designed to fulfil in their generation. Just as it was no accident that David was born at a particular period in history to a unique set of parents, so it is with each human being. No child born into this world enters it by accident: by good luck or bad. When God creates something or someone there is always a time and a purpose He is intent on fulfilling under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
Home educators must remember that it is their duty to ensure that their children understand that learning, and indeed all of life, has meaning and purpose precisely because a personal Creator God has carved out a unique destiny for them. The business of acquiring an education can, after all, be a tedious and burdensome process for students particularly in their teen years. These burdens, however, are made much heavier to bear when students have never been taught why their training is vital to obtaining the foundational skills that will enable them to fulfill their calling in life. Students who lack the zeal or understanding to pursue their God-ordained destiny will tend to approach the learning process with a "who really cares" attitude, and will, consequently, be more difficult to motivate.
Home school parents can provide their children with a solid understanding of how God works in men, both to will and to do His good pleasure, by exposing them to a study of the lives of famous biblical personalities. It is not difficult for parents to show how individuals such as Joseph, Moses, Esther, David, and Paul the Apostle were all chosen vessels with a destiny that no human agency could overthrow. In addition to a study of biblical personalities, home educators should provide their children with historical novels and biographies that emphasize God’s providential care and shepherding of famous characters from American or world history.
Too often, parent teachers assume that the primary source of student apathy in the learning process stems from course material that is dry or technical. Particularly in the case of teenagers, however, it may well be that students at this level are struggling to stay motivated because they have yet to see the "ultimate" purpose for their training. Like Esther of old, more young students need to be reminded of the inspiring truth that they have been born into the kingdom for just such a time as this.
Copyright 2006 Michael J. McHugh