My Homeschool/My Ministry

Unless things have changed a lot since I was homeschooling my children, the majority of people with whom homeschooling mothers come in contact do not take homeschooling very seriously. I realize, of course, that homeschooling has taken on an air of “respectability” that it did not enjoy in 1975 when I launched my homeschool, but I suspect that homeschooling mothers are still something of an anomaly.

Have you ever been criticized for not spending enough time working on projects outside the home? I certainly was, and today I want to share with you how I made peace with myself over not being able to be involved in all of the activities that other people thought that I, as a Christian, should be incorporating into my life.

For a long time I was embarrassed when the subject arose. I lamely defended my position by saying that I just did not have time to do more than attend church. In addition to Sunday services, I gave the children a good deal of spiritual instruction at home. We had daily Bible reading and daily family prayer. As they grew older, we added scripture memorization to this list. However, I could not volunteer for committees and all sorts of other church-related activities and still take care of my rapidly expanding family. I gave birth to ten children in twelve years and added a new student every year for quite a long time.  Nevertheless, I received few breaks from my critics—even though they had families of only two or three well-spaced children, and none of them was homeschooling.

After several years of unsuccessful, red-faced stuttering and stammering when asked to defend my position, I came across the perfect answer. It may not have satisfied my critics, but it satisfied me completely. From that day forward, I no longer felt embarrassed or guilty when asked about my apparent lack of Christian Service.

One day one of my little students’ vocabulary lesson contained the word “vocation.” The Calvert manual said that the world “vocation” comes from the Latin vocare which means “calling.” As I read that simple definition, for the first time I realized the significance of my homeschool.

Teaching my children at home was not an experiment; it was not a job, it was not even a career. Homeschooling my children was my vocation—my calling. It was real missionary work. When I began to understand that my homeschool was my ministry, my perspective changed. The work had suddenly taken on a much deeper spiritual quality. I was working for Christ, and He deserved my very best.

Today I want to challenge you to look around your schoolroom. Think of your little students as future missionaries you are preparing for service. In other circumstances you might never have the opportunity to train anyone for ministry, but as a homeschooling mother you have the opportunity to influence your children’s thinking on literally every level. You are in the unique position of being able to bring Christ into everything your children study. What a privilege to be able to pass on your love and passion for Christ to the people you love most. In preparing them, you are touching not only their lives but the lives of everyone with whom they will come in contact as they reach adulthood. You have a tremendous opportunity; don’t fail to act on it, and never feel that you need to apologize for having chosen to make that most important commitment to your children.