What would you give up in housing, car(s), clothes, vacations,
and/or toys in order to get (or keep) your little ones out of the State-run
“education” system and secure for them in its place both daily on-site
parenting and a Christ-centered approach to the pursuit of knowledge?
Would you be willing significantly downgrade your home in order
to make it economically possible for one parent to stay home and supervise the
Christ-centered home education of your littles? Maybe move out of a mid-level
suburb into a smaller, less well equipped pad?
What about your car(s)? Would you downgrade your vehicle(s) in
order to help make hands-on parenting and a Christ-centered education a reality
for your kids?
Would you be willing to give up quality, or even mid-level
vacations? What about high-end clothes? Could you downgrade those?
Would you trade off expensive or semi-expensive hobbies if that
made the difference?
What, if anything, would you be willing to give up or rearrange
to secure an on-site parent and Christ-centered approach to education for your
children?
These are questions that most people who claim that they “can’t
afford to homeschool” simply do not want to answer (or even think about), and
for good reason: The answers tend to quickly reveal the fraudulent nature of
their claim.
Of course there are some who would pursue each of the above
listed options and still be left in a position of seeming impossibility where
homeschooling is concerned. The fact that these situations comprise a small
percentage of those who claim to be “unable to afford to homeschool” doesn’t
make them any less real. The good news is that even these comparatively extreme
situations tend to have viable paths available to them, if only those in need
would seek them out (and if only the Church would make it a priority to help
them).
For the vast majority of us living and working hard to simply
stay above water and economically survive in the United States (and throughout
the West), the “impossible cost” of home education for our children is merely a
selfishness-enabling fictional construct promoted through relentless
State-directed programming and pop culture propaganda. State run systems and
corporate run pop culture have spent many generations reshaping our worldviews
by redefining what we are to value most, how we define “success”, and what the
purpose of education is in the first place. When we strip aside the lies we’ve
been pitched and take a simple, honest look at the basic facts of the matter,
it quickly becomes obvious that the supposed “impossible cost” of hands-on
parenting and home education is linked directly to our having been conditioned
to prioritize nicer homes, better cars, finer clothes, better vacations, and
more toys/hobbies over the parenting and education of our children.
Put another way: We’ve bought into a very big and dangerous lie,
and our children are suffering mightily for it.
It’s one thing for unbelievers to buy into such things as the
rank materialism and deprioritizing of children and family that has come to
define the dying American culture.
It’s quite another for Christians to do the same.
Yet that’s exactly what we see and hear across the professing
Christian subculture in America these days.
It is this group – professing Christians in America and the West
who claim that they can’t afford to home educate their children – that this
blog aims to address, though there is certainly application possible for
unbelieving parents as well. Before diving deeper or tackling our Top Ten List,
let’s consider a passage from Scripture that most American Christians don’t
seem to believe at all when talking about subjects like this:
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the
one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the
other. You cannot serve God and money.
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what
you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on.
Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the
birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your
heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which
of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why
are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they
grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his
glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass
of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will
he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be
anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall
we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly
Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom
of Godand his righteousness, and all these things will be added to
you.“
~ Jesus in Matthew 6:24-33
Those are the words of Jesus, who really is Lord over everything
around here (and everywhere else in His creation – see: Matthew 28:18-20),
despite all that the world (and its “educational” systems) might have you and
your children believe to the contrary.
So when He says – when He promises – that when
we seek first His Kingdom, we will be given everything that we
need, we really, truly, and actually can count on that promise being fulfilled.
While to the typical American (including, sadly, the typical
American Christian) this sounds like fantasyland fiction at the fluffiest, it
is true and utterly reliable nonetheless. The same God who has made this
promise has ordained family and church structures to play roles in helping
those in this particular sort of need and, again: despite what the naysayers
will tell you, there are still many God-fearing churches, families, and other
groups who are happily able and willing to help meet the needs of those in this
particular sort of need.
One of the primary reasons that our culture is in the dark place
that it finds itself now is that we have utterly rejected and (often mockingly)
dismissed the promises of God to supply our needs as we walk in obedience to
him, exchanging that obedience-linked promise for a reliance upon the almighty
State to provide our “needs” on its terms and as it defines them.
This is why 90+% of self-identified Christians in America seem
to have no trouble looking to the State form what God has ordained the family
and church to provide.
We’ve been programmed.
We’ve been “educated”.
We’ve been discipled.
By the State – a State that desperately desires us to value all
sorts of things above the parenting and education of our children, so that
those children might be fed to the State and perpetuate the process by which
each successive generation of Americans is more State-centered in their
thinking, more State-dependent in their approach to life, and more anti-Christ
in their worldview than the last.
One of the telltale signs that we’ve been thoroughly programmed
to value stuff and system-approved pursuits above the wellbeing of our own
children is that we will, often loudly and proudly, defend our decisions to
pursue lesser things at the expense of the spiritual, physical, and
intellectual development of the little boys and girls that God has given us to
raise in accordance with His Word.
It’s in this context that I’d like to offer for your consideration 10
REAL MEANINGS OF “WE CAN’T AFFORD TO HOMESCHOOL!”:
1. “We’re
not about to significantly downgrade our home just to home educate our kids.”
.
For most Americans, the thought of moving from a nice middle or upper-middle class suburban residential situation into a much more humble, simple home is unthinkable. That is “failure”; the antithesis of “success” and The American Dream in our State-managed culture.
.
Even so, housing downgrades remain a viable path toward home education for a great number of “We can’t afford to homeschool!” families.
.
.
For most Americans, the thought of moving from a nice middle or upper-middle class suburban residential situation into a much more humble, simple home is unthinkable. That is “failure”; the antithesis of “success” and The American Dream in our State-managed culture.
.
Even so, housing downgrades remain a viable path toward home education for a great number of “We can’t afford to homeschool!” families.
.
2. “We
value nice cars above the hands-on parenting and Christ-centered education of
our little ones.”
.
How many “We can’t afford to home educate our kids!” families have one or more cars that could easily be downgraded – sometimes very significantly – in a manner that would preserve basic transportation functionality and safety while making a huge improvement to the family’s monthly budget and/or overall bottom line?
.
Answer: A lot.
.
.
How many “We can’t afford to home educate our kids!” families have one or more cars that could easily be downgraded – sometimes very significantly – in a manner that would preserve basic transportation functionality and safety while making a huge improvement to the family’s monthly budget and/or overall bottom line?
.
Answer: A lot.
.
3. “We
see high quality vacations as more valuable to our family than the on-site
parenting and Christ-centered education for our children.”
.
How many “We can’t afford to home educate our kids!” families regularly take trips to Disney Word and the like? Not the majority, I’m sure, but many certainly do.
.
What about “lesser” or less exotic vacations? How many families choose to prioritize those things above hand-on parenting and Christ-centered education for their children?
.
Again, in America’s professing Christian sub-culture, the answer seems to be: A lot.
.
.
How many “We can’t afford to home educate our kids!” families regularly take trips to Disney Word and the like? Not the majority, I’m sure, but many certainly do.
.
What about “lesser” or less exotic vacations? How many families choose to prioritize those things above hand-on parenting and Christ-centered education for their children?
.
Again, in America’s professing Christian sub-culture, the answer seems to be: A lot.
.
4. “We
value our toys too much to consider trading them in toward enabling the
hands-on parenting and Christ-centered education of our littles.”
.
Boats, computers, home theatres, iPhones, iPads, guitars, guns…how many families that “can’t afford to home educate” their children still manage to shovel tons of cash into the pursuit of these sorts of toys?
.
.
Boats, computers, home theatres, iPhones, iPads, guitars, guns…how many families that “can’t afford to home educate” their children still manage to shovel tons of cash into the pursuit of these sorts of toys?
.
5. “We
value our pricey hobbies too much to consider trading them in toward the
hands-on parenting and Christ-centered education of our littles.”
.
Golfing, skiing, hunting, fishing, antiques, collectibles…how many families that “can’t afford to home educate” their children still manage to shovel tons of cash into the pursuit of these sorts of hobbies?
.
.
Golfing, skiing, hunting, fishing, antiques, collectibles…how many families that “can’t afford to home educate” their children still manage to shovel tons of cash into the pursuit of these sorts of hobbies?
.
6. “We’re
not about to start shopping at Goodwill for clothes if that’s what it takes to
secure hands-on parenting and a Christ-centered education for our children.”
.
Oh, the horror.
.
What would people think, right?
.
Oh, the horror.
.
What would people think, right?
7. “We
would look like crazy people to all of our friends if we made all of these
changes just to have hand-on parenting and Christ-centered education for our
kids.”
.
This is a biggie.
.
The world will definitely think you’re nuts for prioritizing your family and children over your career, toys, hobbies, nice home, great car(s), and high end clothes.
.
While there are many reasons why the world and its advocates will pressure you and label you a nutcase for pursuing this path, one of the primary reasons for their hostile reaction will be conviction.
.
BY doing what they know they ought to do, you will put the lie to their claims of “We can’t afford to home educate our kids!”
.
Exposing their lie in that area is something that they simply will not tolerate…so prepare to pay a social price for prioritizing your children.
.
.
This is a biggie.
.
The world will definitely think you’re nuts for prioritizing your family and children over your career, toys, hobbies, nice home, great car(s), and high end clothes.
.
While there are many reasons why the world and its advocates will pressure you and label you a nutcase for pursuing this path, one of the primary reasons for their hostile reaction will be conviction.
.
BY doing what they know they ought to do, you will put the lie to their claims of “We can’t afford to home educate our kids!”
.
Exposing their lie in that area is something that they simply will not tolerate…so prepare to pay a social price for prioritizing your children.
.
8. “I
need to much Me Time to possibly make room for the hands-on parenting and
education of my children.”
.
This is both an excruciatingly pathetic and commonplace attitude that, if we’re honest, pulls at all of us each and every day. We all want to be the center of our universe, and the State-designed systems under which we live encourage us to pursue that approach at every turn.
.
As Christians, we’re graced with the desire and ability to put others before ourselves; especially our children.
.
.
This is both an excruciatingly pathetic and commonplace attitude that, if we’re honest, pulls at all of us each and every day. We all want to be the center of our universe, and the State-designed systems under which we live encourage us to pursue that approach at every turn.
.
As Christians, we’re graced with the desire and ability to put others before ourselves; especially our children.
.
9. “My
career would suffer if I did what it took to home educate my kids.”
.
The capstone of The American Dream is not family. It is career.
.
Our career path is where we’re told to find our meaning, relevance, and purpose in life. This is the clear message of State/Corporate-designed “education”.
.
In that context, our children, neighbors, family and friends are all supposed to understand why we “must” sacrifice our children’s needs for the sake of our precious career(s).
.
And, of course, two careers are better than one, so twice the sacrifice is more than justified in order for the typical American couple to pursue their happiness and sense of value, all at the expense of their children.
.
.
The capstone of The American Dream is not family. It is career.
.
Our career path is where we’re told to find our meaning, relevance, and purpose in life. This is the clear message of State/Corporate-designed “education”.
.
In that context, our children, neighbors, family and friends are all supposed to understand why we “must” sacrifice our children’s needs for the sake of our precious career(s).
.
And, of course, two careers are better than one, so twice the sacrifice is more than justified in order for the typical American couple to pursue their happiness and sense of value, all at the expense of their children.
.
10.
“I can’t stand the thought of being
around my children that much.”
.
This one is now frequently spouted openly, out loud and in public, believe it or not, often accompanied by a laugh.
.
That’s a fairly neat (albeit sad and tragic) summary of where kids rate in American culture these days.
.
This one is now frequently spouted openly, out loud and in public, believe it or not, often accompanied by a laugh.
.
That’s a fairly neat (albeit sad and tragic) summary of where kids rate in American culture these days.
So there you have it. That’s the list. I hope and pray that it
inspires some serious thought, soul searching and, where appropriate,
conviction.
I know, I know…it pro’ly seems quite mean of me to even dare
notice these things, much less write ’em down this way. I should know better
than to say these things in a culture where emotion trumps thought and feelings
top truth, right?
Which is precisely why I am writing this post and why I believe
that we need to be saying and thinking about these things a lot more (not less)
frequently.
What matters most is not whether
feelings are hurt by these words.
What matters most is whether these words are true.
In closing, please understand that I am in no way, shape, or
form against the pursuit and acquisition of high quality things and
experiences.
Quite the contrary.
I believe that wealth and the luxury that it can provide can be
a great blessing from God that ought to be enjoyed, and enjoyed vigorously, so
long as that enjoyment centers on gratitude to God and the prioritization of
the promotion of His Kingdom on His terms as recorded in His Word in accordance
with His Gospel-fueled Great Commission.
May God grace His people with the desire to prioritize family
and children as He has livingly commanded and equipped us to do, all by His
grace, all for His glory, and all to our eternal benefit.
