Christian home school parents have great intentions.

I know… because I’m one of them.

I believe in our children having a good education…

But too often, academic prowess or a desire to return to “classical education” outweighs something much more important.

Christian character.

Think it through home school parents…

If your child is…

A scientific genius.
A musical prodigy.
A literary master.
A mathematician to rival Einstein.

But does not know Christ in a way that changes her from the inside out…

You are failing in the most colossal of ways.

Your first job as a home school parent is to…

Train up your child in the way he should go… (Proverbs 22:6).
Instruct him in the word (Deuteronomy 6:4).
Teach her to know and follow hard after Christ (Luke 9:23).
Help him understand that nothing matters more than knowing Jesus (Jeremiah 9:24).

Don’t let yourself get so caught up in the temporal aspects of education that you neglect the eternal ones.

If you do, you’ll be making a mistake of eternal proportions.

Tell me your story… What is the hardest part of keeping your child’s educational endeavors centered on Christ?

Categories : Parenting

Counter productive educational choices?

Posted by Carey

· Wednesday, July 25th, 2012

Jack London… studying

I have yet to meet a Christian parent who would disagree with the following statement:

I want my child to love God with all their heart, all their mind, all their soul, and all their strength. (Mark 12:30)

Yet, many of them don’t realize that in order for that to happen, priorities have to be adjusted. You simply can’t DO everything you want to do and see that desire fulfilled. It takes time. It demands investment. It requires sacrificial purpose on your part as a parent.

I’ve seen this disconnect many times over in the home school community. And I’m not a critic only, but a fellow struggler. When we first began schooling our kids I wanted the very, very best education for them. But over the years I’ve come to see that it’s very easy for a disconnect to happen in my own mind, between what is good (great education) and what is best (spiritual maturity). Because of this disconnect, well-meaning parents drive their kids toward educational excellence while their spiritual health falls into the shadows. In short, heir educational choices don’t reflect their stated goals (the statement above).

Educational choices: questions to consider

Today’s post is simple. If you are a parent, or responsible for raising children, I want you to prayerfully ask yourself the following questions.

Are you investing in your kids’ spiritual development in significant enough ways that the blue statement above has a good chance of being true?
Are you putting too much effort into other good, but less important things?
Is your focus on education overshadowing your focus on your child’s spiritual growth and maturity?
What difference will your kids’ education really make at the end of their lives… if they don’t love the LORD?
What changes might you need to make, in mindset or practice, to help you make a course-correction?

You may find something helpful in your answers. You may check out alright.

Either way, I had to ask.