I was a teacher in my past life. I used to teach elementary school. Then I had Jack and he turned my life upside down. I decided to stay home to raise our kids and we moved halfway across the country in order for me to do so. When Jackson reached elementary school age, I had many ask me if I was going to homeschool. Homeschool was becoming the thing to do; especially in the Christian community. I knew, however, that was not our family's calling. I also knew that while it is one thing to teach other people's kids, it is quite another to teach your own.
'He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.' Mark 16:15
Each year as we add one more Fish boy to the public school system, I ask myself if I want them to be in the public schools or homeschooled. Part of me wants to keep my babies all to myself because time goes by entirely too fast and another part of me wants to protect them from the evils of this world. And then God presses Mark 16:15 on my heart and reminds me that while teaching your children in the home is some people's calling, it is not ours. I feel in the pit of my soul that part of my children's ministry is being a light and salt everyday at school. If Christian children aren't attending public schools, then who is going to tell about Jesus to those who haven't met Him yet?
I want to emphasis that I LOVE home shooling. I think it is a tremendous opportunity for parents to show their children the world and allow kids to learn at their pace and in their own style. I am not bad-mouthing homeschooling. It's just my example of our experience as to whether we were going to expose our children to the "world" through public school or not. Anyway, I digress.
I feel like there is a new trend in Christianity today. We are afraid and it is showing. We are terrified of this "evil" world so we are doing everything in our power to protect ourselves from it; especially our children. We think if we keep them home and only surround them with like-minded people and create Christian friendships and only do Christian things in this glorious Christian bubble than we will have succeeded in keeping them from all the evils and sin of this cold dark world. Can I be bold and say that sounds a little cultish to me? We might as well build a compound and live in community not allowing anyone else in. What we fail to realize, is that there is evil in our own home. You heard me right. Evil exists in our homes.
"...even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;…" Romans 3:23 (emphasis mine)
We ALL sin even when we wrap ourselves up in our protected Christian life. Sin is innate; a part of us. Sin is part of our wiring that we can't get rid of by removing ourselves from the evil outside. The only way to combat sin, evil, is through Jesus and through living life making mistakes and learning right from wrong. So, if we think we are going to protect our babies from the evils and sins of this world by surrounding ourselves with only Christian people doing only Christian things than we are going to fall flat on our faces. Sin is everywhere; even in your Christian home.
Another negative of the bubble effect is creating a lifestyle of ignorance. If we seclude ourselves from those who don't believe like us, we will not have the tools, knowledge, por ability to do what Jesus calls us to do: love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31). How can you love your neighbor if you do not give yourself the opportunity to get to know them? How can you tell ALL the world about Jesus if you haven't had an opportunity to speak to this "evil" world? How can you learn and grown in your faith if you are only exposed to the same thing day in and day out? How can you be challenged to answer and discover the hard things about your faith if you are never opposed? God doesn't call us to hide from the world. He calls us to quite the opposite: He calls us to go.
I do believe it is important to fellowship with fellow believers and do life with like-minded people. Heck, I am not going to hang out with a family that abuses their kids. But, there is value in going out there into the scary dark places and loving on people who desperately need it. There is even greater value in teaching your kids to do the same. Who is going to be kind to the kid that gets bullied at school if none of our kids are there? I am NOT saying a non-Christian couldn't do this. I am just trying to drive home the point that if we shelter our kids too much, the love of Christ will get lost and we will have a generation who does not know what true love is because there is no one out there to tell them.
Our family's desire is to be the hands and feet of Christ exposing the world to a Jesus that isn't seen much these days. We want to love the unlovable helping others to realize their value and worth. Our pastor says, "If lost people matter to God, they should matter to us." We are failing here. We are hiding in our bubbles afraid to open the door because of the evils that lurk outside. I don't want to be afraid. I want my kids to come home with the bad word so we can have a discussion about it. How else will they learn to deal with hard grown-up stuff if we don't teach them now? I want them to love on those who don't know Jesus; those who may have lost hope. I want to equip my kids to be able to go into the world and know what to do with it.
Don't be afraid. Equip your kids, Teach them. Get out of your four walls and four corners of your city and let them see and experience the beauty that is out there. You never know...you may learn a thing or two yourself.
Love & Blessings,
Meg
'He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.' Mark 16:15
Each year as we add one more Fish boy to the public school system, I ask myself if I want them to be in the public schools or homeschooled. Part of me wants to keep my babies all to myself because time goes by entirely too fast and another part of me wants to protect them from the evils of this world. And then God presses Mark 16:15 on my heart and reminds me that while teaching your children in the home is some people's calling, it is not ours. I feel in the pit of my soul that part of my children's ministry is being a light and salt everyday at school. If Christian children aren't attending public schools, then who is going to tell about Jesus to those who haven't met Him yet?
I want to emphasis that I LOVE home shooling. I think it is a tremendous opportunity for parents to show their children the world and allow kids to learn at their pace and in their own style. I am not bad-mouthing homeschooling. It's just my example of our experience as to whether we were going to expose our children to the "world" through public school or not. Anyway, I digress.
I feel like there is a new trend in Christianity today. We are afraid and it is showing. We are terrified of this "evil" world so we are doing everything in our power to protect ourselves from it; especially our children. We think if we keep them home and only surround them with like-minded people and create Christian friendships and only do Christian things in this glorious Christian bubble than we will have succeeded in keeping them from all the evils and sin of this cold dark world. Can I be bold and say that sounds a little cultish to me? We might as well build a compound and live in community not allowing anyone else in. What we fail to realize, is that there is evil in our own home. You heard me right. Evil exists in our homes.
"...even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;…" Romans 3:23 (emphasis mine)
We ALL sin even when we wrap ourselves up in our protected Christian life. Sin is innate; a part of us. Sin is part of our wiring that we can't get rid of by removing ourselves from the evil outside. The only way to combat sin, evil, is through Jesus and through living life making mistakes and learning right from wrong. So, if we think we are going to protect our babies from the evils and sins of this world by surrounding ourselves with only Christian people doing only Christian things than we are going to fall flat on our faces. Sin is everywhere; even in your Christian home.
Another negative of the bubble effect is creating a lifestyle of ignorance. If we seclude ourselves from those who don't believe like us, we will not have the tools, knowledge, por ability to do what Jesus calls us to do: love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31). How can you love your neighbor if you do not give yourself the opportunity to get to know them? How can you tell ALL the world about Jesus if you haven't had an opportunity to speak to this "evil" world? How can you learn and grown in your faith if you are only exposed to the same thing day in and day out? How can you be challenged to answer and discover the hard things about your faith if you are never opposed? God doesn't call us to hide from the world. He calls us to quite the opposite: He calls us to go.
I do believe it is important to fellowship with fellow believers and do life with like-minded people. Heck, I am not going to hang out with a family that abuses their kids. But, there is value in going out there into the scary dark places and loving on people who desperately need it. There is even greater value in teaching your kids to do the same. Who is going to be kind to the kid that gets bullied at school if none of our kids are there? I am NOT saying a non-Christian couldn't do this. I am just trying to drive home the point that if we shelter our kids too much, the love of Christ will get lost and we will have a generation who does not know what true love is because there is no one out there to tell them.
Our family's desire is to be the hands and feet of Christ exposing the world to a Jesus that isn't seen much these days. We want to love the unlovable helping others to realize their value and worth. Our pastor says, "If lost people matter to God, they should matter to us." We are failing here. We are hiding in our bubbles afraid to open the door because of the evils that lurk outside. I don't want to be afraid. I want my kids to come home with the bad word so we can have a discussion about it. How else will they learn to deal with hard grown-up stuff if we don't teach them now? I want them to love on those who don't know Jesus; those who may have lost hope. I want to equip my kids to be able to go into the world and know what to do with it.
Don't be afraid. Equip your kids, Teach them. Get out of your four walls and four corners of your city and let them see and experience the beauty that is out there. You never know...you may learn a thing or two yourself.
Love & Blessings,
Meg
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