Recently I was a guest at Cindy Rushton’s Ultimate Homeschooling Expo. One thing I mentioned was, homeschooling is not a magic bullet. By that I mean that the fact that we homeschooled does not guarantee that our kids will turn out right. We must be careful to teach our kids good character. Looking back, I believe that the most important subjects in homeschooling are Bible and Character Building.
I have been observing the homeschool graduates that were in the same graduating classes as my boys. Some of them are doing great. Some of them have made some pretty serious mistakes already. When I heard about the problems, my first thought was, how could that have happened? He/she was homeschooled! Homeschooling by itself usually provides many advantages. But it is not a guarantee of success in life. We must be on our knees, praying for our kids and daily teaching them God’s word in a spirit of humility.
One thing I have become interested in since my boys have graduated homeschool is prison ministry. Guess what they are teaching the inmates?(or offenders, as they are referred to now.) Character education! So far I have found two big programs that are teaching this inside Oklahoma prisons. The offenders in prison are also usually deficient in other skills, like reading, but the foundation of a good life is character. There are plenty of offenders who have college degrees that never learned to be good people.
As Christians, we know that before a person can be “good”, he or she must let Christ change the heart. Then he or she can begin to grow in Christ. As we study the Bible, we learn God’s principles for a happy life. We learn verses like, “Love one another, be kind to one another, tenderhearted and forgiving.” We learn to put away anger, wrath, malice, and envy. We learn that we should not kill, steal, or commit adultery. I wonder how many offenders would not have committed their crimes if they had learned to “Be angry, but do not sin.”
As I learn more about crime, prisons and offenders, I just want to encourage you dear ones. Keep homeschooling. Keep loving your kids. Keep teaching them God’s word. It is the most important subject!
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