I believe we all have prejudices to some degree regarding the educational choices of others and even the overall lifestyle of other families. Perhaps these prejudices and sensitivities to such are the greatest among those of us who would call ourselves followers and learners of the person and ways of Jesus. We who have come face to face with grace often take it as if it is a personal present from God, instead of a communal gift we are to both receive and dispense. I have been guilty of such. And have been proven wrong, again and again.
In light of this, some of us are afraid to reveal ourselves as “home-education moms” because of the the varying degrees of connotations this definition elicits. We do not want to be pegged, rather we want to be affirmed in our intentional decision made in partnership with the good King who formed both us and our children! We cannot seek this seal of approval from man, only from our audience of One. The accusations of our choice and our beliefs within that choice are quite audacious, really. We have little time to justify our actions; there are bigger fish to fry. Namely the education in body and spirit of our children. Myths abound regarding home-educated children such as ‘what about their socialization?’ and ‘is it healthy for children to be around their parents so much?’ and ‘how are you teaching them to be a part of the greater society and function within its norms?’ and ‘don’t you feel guilty about the religious abuse of indoctrination you are forcing upon your innocent children?’ I could spend time countering these and believe I could make strong cases, and I will if you dear readers really feel you need it, but at the end of the day, anything that comes between my mind and the goal set before me, is nothing but a stumbling block, a distraction.
“Get behind me Satan!” said Jesus when Peter suggested He bring His kingdom forth in another way but His atoning death. And silence, there was silence when all of his accusers demand that He prove himself. His actions did and He’ll be sure to prove our calling firm and its results solid.
So, get on with it! You will stumble and fall on your way, but keep going further up and further in.
ANGELA BLYCKER 
This is so good Lisa. A friend of mine also said courage is tied to the heart as in Josh. 1:8. the position of the heart. Such a good reminder to live as overcomers!!
Angela,
this sort of subject has been on my mind as well. I believe that is why our
theme this year is strong and courageous. Strong’s concordance describes
strong as “to establish one self firmly, equipped, held secure, victorious,
unswerving”
Courageous is defined as “establish, to persist, determined”
These are great words to add to our minds in the midst of challenges we
face daily-we are victorious already with Him!!