FEAR

What does fear look like? Often we think of fear as the boogey man jumping out and scaring us, or walking through a dark forest lost and alone, or even the loud clap of thunder….fear. On a daily level though, what is fear? As parents we have the daily fear of something terrible happening to our children. We fear the worst, as one of the littles once said to mom here, “You always think of the worst possible things.” Yes, moms have a ‘gift’ for imagining the worst. This video from the Skit Guys, called “Mom googles” is a hilariously accurate of how moms see things. https://skitguys.com/videos/item/mom-goggles

It is an unfortunate truth that moms respond to the concern for our children with fear. Fear is not trusting God with all areas of our life, especially our children. Homeschooling can be a wonderful time of learning and growing in relationship with children, but when the choice to homeschool is done out of fear it is robbing parents of the sweet blessings that can be had. When we homeschool because we are fearful that our children will: see skimpily dressed people, might learn about other religions, will face a bullying situation, be victim of a school shooting, be kidnapped, coerced into illicit behavior, be tempted by drugs and alcohol, possibly turn from God….we have taken the faith we claim to have in God, and given way to fear. By the way, homeschooling alone does not stop any of those things mentioned.

In many families who homeschool, parents strive to have a sterile environment, where they children are not exposed to the sins of the world. Not over-exposing our children is a good thing, fearing any exposure is not. A healthy fear is ok, but even better is fear that has said its prayers: FAITH.

Moms (and dads) we need to trust that if we are homeschooling we are doing it because it is what God has called us to do, not because we are allowing satan to have his way with our minds and we are responding to fear. We cannot control every aspect of life, we cannot predict what our children will see, we cannot predict how our children will be tempted, and we cannot even decide if our children will chose to walk with the Lord. What we can do is have faith. Have faith that if God has called you to homeschool, you can do it successfully. Have faith that we can teach our children in the way they should go, so when they are old they will not turn away from it. Have faith that we can teach our children to have grace with those who might not understand the value of their own bodies (news flash, sometimes those skimpily dressed individuals do not even realize they are dressed in ways that could cause one to stumble, or view modesty differently than you, but still love the Lord) Have faith that God loves those children even more than you! So hard to comprehend that, but it is true. God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and sound mind (II Timothy 1:7) Having the power from God alone, gives us the confidence to walk in faith, the sound mind keeps fear at bay.

How do you keep fear away? Stay in the word of God each day! You do have time, you do have time. Every mom has time, ask God, He will show you, you do have time.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by homeschooling, take some time, and pray….really pray and listen….ask God if He has called you to homeschool or if you are doing it out of some fear. I do believe in homeschooling, but not every family is called to homeschool. There are some amazingly strong Christians in our schools, youth and adult.

If you know God has called your family to be part of the homeschool world, are you allowing God to come first, marriage second, family third, home duties fourth and curriculum later?

Not fear of…anything….in the equation…rather faith!

 

Carnal vs spiritual Christian

Carnal – the first image that comes to my mind when I hear that word is a pack of wolves or coyotes going after their kill and ripping it apart, shredding the meat, and ruthlessly eating at the carcass.  Not a pretty picture, but one of the reality of the circle of life.

Carnal Christian can be thought of in a similar way.  A carnal Christian is one who digs into the word of God, seeks knowledge, wants to see the ins and outs, A carnal Christian may even travel to various parts of interest mentioned in the Bible, learning about and seeing first hand where Jesus walked, searching for evidence of Noah’s ship, learning and growing in knowledge.  This is awesome, this is amazing, it is something gain from such a learned Christian.  BUT, are they trusting in the awe inspiring truths? Are they looking to fill a fleshly desire for knowledge?

A spiritual Christian is one who just walks on faith, resting in His peace and trusting His truths.  A spiritual Christian knows the loves of Christ, and loves the personal relationship experienced by KNOWING and FELLOW SHIPPING with Christ. The spiritual Christian may not have all the answers, may not be quick to quote scripture, but knows it and will find the answers.  A spiritual Christian is not arrogant with knowledge, but sweet in spirit. This is the person seeking to honor God in all they do.

The Marine here is such a Godly example, to which I am so thankful, and challenged.  He is a wonderful example of a spiritual Christian.  He came to know the Lord in his 30’s.  He never knew anything about the Bible and the truths it is embedded with.  He came to know the Lord after years of living for his flesh, giving in to all sorts of sin, experiencing the heart ache that comes with those choices.  After our son was killed, he was able to witness his wife (me) growing in a peace, and he did not understand it, but knew he wanted it.  God placed amazingly tough men (other Marines and Sailors) who were also wonderfully strong Christians in his world…..he accepted Jesus!!  What is so amazing about The Marine, is he grew in his faith by leaps and was so bold in his faith.  He was, and is, quick to be honest about his lack of knowledge or understanding of subjects related to Christian history, walk, or some scripture.  However, he walks in truth on the path which is lit for him by Christ.  He is quick to offer help to anybody, not judging people at all.  He is bold in his faith in a way that does not make one feel inferior.  He wants to do what he feels God is calling him to do……even when it is not easy, convenient, or enjoyable.  Often he will help another at his own expense, wanting only to be a blessing, and if the person does not know the Lord, to see them come to know the Lord….He invites everybody to Church.   He is a spiritual Christian.

I have seen this theme come up several times over the weeks, carnal vs spiritual Christian.  I love to study the word of God and I pray that I am growing more and more as a spiritual Christian, not just one with knowledge, but love, and awe of the One who breathed those words.