Pioneer Files: The Road to Discipleship

 

A man who lives without honor will not gain from education.

Yes, Virginia, there will be difficult days.

It's best to recognize and prepare for that eventuality from the start. This isn't just about teaching your children to read and write. You're making disciples of the living God. That puts you in direct conflict with the god of this world and the natural human tendency to choose the path of least resistance.

Resistance is what you will surely encounter. You will hear the whispers of the accuser in your ear. You will feel torn by your own internal battles to sacrifice the freedom you could have simply by putting them into a public school. You will be pulled in many directions by the demands of others on your time, your other responsibilities, and the fear of getting it wrong with your children. 

You worry about being too hard on them, or too lenient. How can you possibly know the necessary fusion of resolve and tenderness in your quest to train your child without inadvertently inflicting emotional pain? You will stumble and rise again repeatedly along this journey. So will your children.

Who is becoming the disciple here?

All of you. And God has your back.

Saving the Mind

Learning involves discipline, and our natures hate the pain of training. Society already has too many forty-year-olds who have never grown up. Our job as parents is to guide that process in our children. Living things do not bear fruit until they are mature. We're the keepers of God's garden, a calling both daunting and thrilling. We get to partner with God to pass the torch of faith to a new generation and contribute to the development of our civilization. That's awe-inspiring!

The twin ideas of discipline and learning are so intertwined that the New Testament word for disciple actually means “learner.” The Greek word for discipline is suphronismos, which comes from the root suphron, meaning “to save the mind.”1.

It’s a tough to strike the right balance of work and fun in homeschooling, but it’s important to have both. Children feel honored and cherished when a grown-up takes real time with them, especially when that time is divided between work and play. Play more with the younger ones; slowly add work as they mature from level to level. But always insist on respectful attitudes toward you and each other. That's one of the greatest lessons they can learn.

Young children easily incorporate learning and play. They do need much play time in an atmosphere that is free from intimidation and stress. Most discipline for them involves learning to do simple duties around the house and learning how to respect others. They should have plenty of room and time to play. Increase their work load as their need to be challenged grows. Older children need enough work to stretch them without breaking their spirit. That work load will probably need to be adjusted to each child's strength's and abilities, while still making sure there is a general sense that you're being fair to all of them.

Yes, there will be difficult days. It's worth every tear, prayer, melt-down, and false start. It's worth your tattered soul and battered spirit. This is war for the next generation. Assault the gates of hell. The battle is the Lord's.

When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; When I became a man, I did away with childish things. 

- 1 Corinthians 13:11

 

Photo ID 316616 | © Neil Kad | Dreamstime.com

1. Vine, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, p. 308.