Sanctification: Believers and Homeschoolers

PART 2

Here is Part 1.

Sanctification: Believers and Homeschoolers

    

Sanctification is one of those church words I don't even like to use that often. It means "growing in grace after baptism or conversion" or "to be made holy". It's the Philippians 1:6 promise in action. So, following a salvation experience with Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit begins the process of sanctification. Meaning, we are constantly growing in God's grace. He 'prunes' us--cuts off dead vines and whatnot. Sanctification is the process in which God fixes us. He does this through what we call convictions. (Another church word.) I'll be quick: we all get convicted (broken, challenged, fixed) at different times in our walk with the Lord and in different areas. 

I have been challenged by the Lord in almost every area of my life, but some of which are modesty, pride, gender roles, greed, the fiery tongue, loving the unlovable, criticism, etc. So, being filled with the Holy Spirit causes me to change. This causes my relationship with God to look different. I could go on all day, but I hope you get the gist of it. :)

This was back when Meg would let me put her hair in pigtails. 

She's a turkey about that junk now.

So, there we were. Calling ourselves homeschooling. I didn't have a clue what God had planned. A lot like following Jesus, isn't it? 

The more 'sanctified' I am, the more I know I need some fixin'. The more I learn about education, the more I'm convinced that homeschooling is best for our family.

Trampoline schooling has to be a top 5 reason we will keep homeschooling.

Our homeschool is in the process of being sanctified, if you will. It's always changing and growing. I began homeschooling to try it out. We continue because of the flexibility in curriculum, schedule, and learning environment.  A biblical worldview is at the center of everything we do. There are no contradictions in science at school and Bible teaching at home. It's all biblical. The science, history, reading--all of it. I remember getting fired up about a reading comprehension portion of a standardized test being heavy-laden with liberal propaganda that just lends itself right back to Darwin's Theory of Evolution. Blech. I don't want my child choosing the main idea of that paragraph unless I am right there to help guide her to pick out the worldview issues first. 

Biblical worldview first. Main idea second. 

When we read about some tough issues in our history, we are able to talk through it together. We discuss the sovereignty of God during our discussion of the Underground Railroad. I remember being teary with my girls over Isaiah 61:1 during some of these lessons:

      

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim 

freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners...

   

That took us to William Wilberforce which took us to modern-day slavery. Oh, man. I'm getting fired up now! The girls are going to be mad; when I finish, I'm going to want to re-read all those biographies!

   

Anyway, no propaganda, no indoctrination. 

The only agenda I have is to teach my girls to love God and love people. And, I'd really like them to be academic geniuses, too. Hey! I'm just being real.

Our schedule and learning environment are so flexible now, too, that we would have serious reentry stress if we were to go back! 

We snuggle before reading. 

We eat while we study. 

We 'do school' outside or in the car.

Our family is together a lot. 

We learn together, play together, 

fight together (gasp!), serve together. 

Most of the time this is grand. Again. Just being real.

   

We also had no idea that a few short months after we began homeschooling, Plant City's First Baptist would call a pastor that would challenge us to GO! 

Good gravy! Michael Lewis and Jesus are relentless! 

Spouse and I are taking that quite literally! We are GONE! And we are GOING! We don't know where and we don't know when, but our "school" fits in a plastic bin. So, ironic since a lot of people complain about 'schooling in a box'!

Again, I could go on, but y'all have lives to live.

In the same way Jesus changes me daily, my homeschooling convictions change. When I became a believer, I had never heard the word 'sanctification'. When I began homeschooling, I certainly didn't know that we really would put it in a plastic bin. 

Anyway, I love y'all! For those of you that stuck around, thanks for reading!

Melissa