www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com
lot more than academics. We are preparing adults for the future—God’s men
and women of righteousness. So, how
do we stay focused on this goal?
7. Basic Training Needed
If you look at military basic training, you
see that they cram into a few weeks everything they deem essential in becoming a good soldier. It’s pretty basic. They
require and reinforce unquestioned obedience and they prepare them mentally
and physically for possible future combat. Specialized fields come later. Ever
thought of that in relation to your goals
for homeschooling? I want my children
to unquestioningly obey God’s commands and my commands, and I want to
help prepare them in the basics for whatever the future holds. And then, as I pray,
God will show me how to develop them
in their specialized fields. Obedience to
God first, academics second.
Academically speaking, consider what
they don’t know. If they are not proficient in the basics of reading, writing,
and math, continue with the basics. Look
for things that repeat and reinforce. They
may excel in foreign language, but if they
don’t know their multiplication tables,
something basic is missing. They may be
able to do the best science experiments,
but if they cannot write a decent letter,
it’s time to go back to the basics. If they
can play video games for hours but can’t
spend two minutes in prayer, something
is definitely lacking. Before academics,
we would do well to teach wisdom and
holiness and worship—raising up a different kind of generation.
Prepare the Way
Raising godly children will be a big
part in preparing the way for spread-
ing the gospel. Just as John the Baptist
prepared the way for Christ’s first com-
ing, our families can learn to prepare
the way for His second coming. How?
By embracing The Way, The Truth, and
The Life ourselves and revealing Him to
our children. Anyone can go the broad
way (that “all-inclusive, tolerant, open-
minded” way) that leads to death and
destruction, but only a few will find the
narrow way that leads to life. We need
to light up that path for them to walk
in. Do they know that the Way to the
Father is through Jesus? He is the Truth
and the Life. There is no other way, there
is no other truth, and they will find no
life apart from Him. We want to prepare
the way for our children to believe in
this Jesus and to follow Him wherever
He leads, that they, in turn, will prepare
the way for others to know Him.
How we live our own lives, and our responses to the circumstances that come
our way, prepares our children to handle
their future—whatever that might bring.
It is imperative that we teach them to do
combat with their enemies: the world,
the flesh, and the devil, and to be more
than conquerors through Jesus Christ.
May we raise them up to be a people
prepared for the Lord as we keep them
Home Where They Belong.
“He shall be great in the sight of the
Lord . . . and he shall be filled with the
Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s
womb. And many of the children of
Israel shall he turn to the Lord their
God. And he shall go before him in the
spirit and power of Elias, to turn the
hearts of the fathers to the children,
and the disobedient to the wisdom of
the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1: 15-17).
Deborah Wuehler is the Senior Editor for
TOS, participating author in The Homeschool Minute, wife to Richard, and mom
to eight gifts from heaven. She loves digging
for buried treasure in the Word, reading,
writing, homeschooling, and dark chocolate! You may contact her at senioreditor
@ TheHomeschoolMagazine.com.
How we live our own lives, and our responses to the circumstances
that come our way, prepares our children to handle their future
—whatever that might bring.
