The Heart of

True Education

and of

What the Lifestyle of Learning 

Message is Really About

   

by Marilyn Howshall

     

   

   

My message is not about how to homeschool, but about being a Christian. This does not "look like" the model seen currently in today's mainstream Christian culture. If it was, all you would need to do is continue doing school at home and you could get the same kind of fruit that you see everyone around you producing. If you want godly fruit, you have to know God and do things His way.

   
“‘For as the heavens are higher than the

earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and

My thoughts than your thoughts.’”

Isaiah 55:8, 9

     

   
You won't learn what His way is until you decide you want to know what it is and surrender your will to become completely teachable of the Holy Spirit. 

   
This message is about parents who truly know how to walk a surrendered life, by faith ~ with the cross ~ becoming empty of self and filled with the love of God that imitates who He is for their children. So filled with the love of God that they are able to love their children as unique individuals instead of enforcing generic, artificial substitutes in exchange for what God has planned for the child's unique purpose. This can only occur if the parent is willing to take steps of obedience in faith instead of acting out of the fear of their hearts obeying what the world says instead of allowing God to be their fear and dread.

   

         
"Let God be your fear,

and let Him be your dread, and He

will be your sanctuary."

Isaiah 8:11

     

   
Our Christian faith seems to get put on the shelf for homeschooling, for "ministry," and for many other worthwhile purposes. The Christian faith to be truly the Christian faith is going to "fly in the face" of every preconceived idea we might have been conditioned to believe. True faith in God will require a true faith walk, step by step, not necessarily knowing what the steps are, but following only the one step the Holy Spirit says to do next. Most decisions we make are based upon assumption that we are supposed to do something a certain way.

   
Why is that?  We are not listening to the Holy Spirit!  If God is the one who called you to homeschool, then He has the plan and the right to be the director of it!  Be still for awhile and know that He is God, and you will begin to hear His quiet voice directing you. He will not lay it all out for you. He will tell you one or two things to begin working on now. As you obey He will give you another step. This is called dying to self, becoming still, empty, and willing to be broken of your own ideas, methods, agendas, beliefs, etc. 
     
His way will take you upstream from everyone else. His way will produce the rich godly fruit of true, healthy relationships within your family; children that grow to be mature, thoughtful young adults instead of selfish teenagers; children that are strong in character and able to embrace the will of God for their learning process; children who are able to pursue their own development of character, purpose, and quality relationship with God; children who are taught of the Lord, not just taught of their parents. 
     
The grace-based training of children in obedience, relationships, and purpose will produce all the godly fruit you could ever hope for. It will look completely different from what you currently see in Christians today.  If the goal of your instruction is love from a pure heart (which will only come with an emptying of self) then you will provide a strong foundation of character in your children that will enable them with your help to acquire a strong and unique, God-designed education which will include creative vocational purpose. 

   

   

"The goal of our instruction

is love from a pure heart and  a good

conscience and a sincere faith."

1 Timothy 1:5
  

Think about this moms. How often do you not instruct in love and with a clear conscience that you are conducting yourself as God would want you to? Are you imitating God to your children or are they getting a heavy dose of your carnal flesh? And what about your faith? Is it true actively applied faith or is it feigned, a mere mental agreement to doctrine, ideas and religious duty, an outward image.
   
You interact with your children all day, they won't hold you accountable and no one else is around to see you so you are not careful about what you do. You think that the seeds sown won't produce fruit? They will, God is not mocked, whatsoever you sow that you shall also reap.

   
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked;

for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption,

but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting

life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for

in due season we shall reap if we

do not lose heart."

Galatians 6:7-9
   

The fruit of rebellion, boredom, loss of soul life, loss of purpose, weak selfish character and bad relationships are all a result of how children were treated and provided for. Are their true needs being met? If mom is not "dead to self," their true needs are being neglected; and what's more, mom isn't even aware of what they are!  Most of mom's decisions are based upon her need to feed her own fears!
   
Children are schooled, churched, socialized, culturalized, virtualized and "parentified" from a young age until they have no uniqueness or creativity, no character or true fellowship in healthy relationships, no maturity and love to give and most of all they become void of the very Life we think we are trying to give them.
  
Academics is not what education is about!  Nor is it about indulging the child's every whim in the name of education along the lines of extra-curricular activities outside the home for the sake of doing them ~ just like doing academics for their sake alone. Children need to interact with their environment in order to develop. They need constant instruction in every aspect of life and learning from a godly, loving source of wisdom. This foundation will make the academic aspect of education far simpler to achieve.
   
If you faithfully work on your foundation, the academic aspect of education will begin to make much more sense to you. Give this time and work on your foundation now. God loves you and wants to become intimately involved in all the details of your life.

      

     
"Lord, shine a light of truth into

the dark areas of our soul and strike our hearts 

with conviction to listen to You."

   

   

~~~~~~~~~~

   

P.S. from Barb: The above message was originally posted on the

Wisdom's Way of Learning email list.  Since emails don't typically have official titles,

other than "Re:" this or that, or I just gave it the above title and subtitle

because I felt they aptly described the content.

   

   

   

I got this background from

   

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