My wonderful grandsons were talking to me from the back- seat as we pattered down the road, headed to a special
beach outing. It was July in northern Michigan, so no one wants to miss out on the few
warm days. But I digress . . .
“We learn a lot in my charter school,” the
younger one said, “about how unfair things
are.”
“Unfair?” I probed.
“Well, some countries have much wealth,
and some have very little. That isn’t fair,” he
explained.
“Do you know why they differ?” I was
eager for him to dig in, seeking underlying
truths.
“Well, some have many schools, and others don’t. Big impact.” (Was he actually admitting that learning is valuable, this energetic, quarterback-wannabe?!)
“Honey,” I nudged, “do you know why
some do and don’t have schools? What
causes that difference?”
“Natural resources,” the other answered.
“Some countries have a bunch, and others
almost none. That’s also not fair.”
“God says He is just,” I was glad to as-
sure them, “so doesn’t it seem He’d pro-
vide resources justly for every region? So,
do you think, dear boys,” I plied, “there’s a
difference in how people handle their natu-
ral resources? Why that difference?”
And on we went . . . helping them peel
off layers, from outcomes back, back, back
to initiation; from outside to inside; from
effect to cause.
Once again, “history class” plopped a
juicy, ripe opportunity into a momma’s
hand with precious young minds and souls
at stake. A chance to dazzle the next generation with truth!
Because all the questions finally led my
handsome grandsons down to what I call
the Big 2 Beliefs.
First, what did these different people believe to be true about God (or gods)? Did
they embrace Yahweh, the one true God,
and thus benefit from His supremacy
(which securely puts human leaders under
accountability and service to His higher
power, as well as importantly limiting the
human tendency to abuse power)? Did
the people embrace His truths (which are
lovingly to our benefit) and laws (which,
counterintuitively, boost human liberty)?
Or not, and what did that cause?
Secondly, based on whom they thought
to be God (or their invented gods), what
did they believe true about humans? What
was the base for their beliefs about human
status, liberty, and economic opportunity?
Was human value based only on human
ideas? If so, humans in power easily change
the values to suit themselves, which is very
dangerous! Just ask the Jews of Nazi Germany, or the unborn in pro-choice nations.
Or, if they acknowledged the true God,
did they enjoy unchangeable human status
based on His Creation of us as the apple of
His eye, His pursuit of us in Redemption,
and His Fatherly teaching of us in the way to
go? If so, then human value was immovable
and inviolate, superseding fads and power
grabs, safe for all, and resulting in governments existing not to control, but rather to
protect God-given freedom and economic
opportunity! Talk about differences!
With these young football fans in my
backseat, it was easy to show them another
version of our culture’s current view of
fairness, and help them explore for illuminating causes. My grandsons had seen the film,
The Blind Side. (Parents, please note that
it needs quick fast-forwarding in a couple
spots.) It’s the true story of Michael Oher,
who grew up in an extremely painful and
dysfunctional situation, was adopted by a
Christian family, and made the decision to
pursue football and academics. His efforts
launched him into a high-paying NFL career, while he sadly watched brothers and
friends instead choose alcohol, drugs, and
www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com
HisStory
By Michelle Howard Miller
Mining the
Depths!
Don’t settle for the mere history of “the deeds and dates
of dead people,” as most of us had growing up.
