Labels!

It’s interesting how much the human race likes labels!  We want to associate ourselves, our children, our churches, our families, our work and so many other areas of our life, with a label….something that we can quickly use to define ourselves…..to distinguish ourselves from others.

Why?  That is a question that I have pondered for a long time.  I Corinthians talks about this in quite a bit of detail.  It seems that the Corinthian church faced some challenges with unity in their church because so many were quick to use labels.

I Corinthians 1: 12-13

Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.”

Is Christ divided?  Was Paul crucified for you?  Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

and later in I Corinthians 2: 1-5 Paul goes on to say:

And I, brethren, when I cam to you, did not come with excellence of speech ofr of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.  For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.  And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

So you may ask….what in the world does this have to do with homeschooling and even with Artios in particular.

When I first began considering homeschooling over 18 years ago, I went to a local homeschool support group meeting and noticed a few things.  I’m hoping that my experience is an isolated experience and that no one else experienced a meeting like this…but nevertheless, I want to share it with you because I learned alot from this experience.

First, I was NOT wearing the correct type of clothing.  I went in jeans and a nice top and jacket and I had really short hair……everyone else was wearing jumpers and had really, REALLY long hair.  Nothing wrong with that for sure…..and that’s beside the point…but I will say….that I was TOTALLY uncomfortable….probably due to the “looks” I got.

However, the second thing I noticed was that there were groups within the group……and these groups were pretty exclusive, with little to no interaction between them.  As I walked around from group to group trying to figure out what was going on…..because no one was offering any information or help…..I figured out that each group seemed to have a label.  There was the Charlotte Mason group, the traditional group, the Classical Education group, the Unit Study group…..and the list went on.  There was no give and take between the groups……and there was no focus on what the Bible might actually say about education and how Biblibcal principles were found, or NOT found, in that method and methodology of education. Everyone felt confident that their “method of choice” was the right and ONLY way to home educate.  That seemed a bit off to me as I knew that even within my own family, I had three (at the time) very, VERY different children who were going to need an individualized approach to learning.

So……what’s my point!

Dear Home Educating Parent,

Although it is great to study and glean from various methods of educating.  It is also a very dangerous thing as well….especially when we find ourselves being drawn to a label or person instead of to Scripture to determine God’s plan and path for educating our children.  We, as humans, find it so comforting to find someone who seems to have it all together, who “looks good and smells good” so that we can pattern our lives and our choices after that person.

Although there is nothing wrong with having mentors and even heroes in various areas of our lives, there is something wrong with having those people’s leadership in place of our own attention to Biblical principles, our own search of God’s word for faith and practice, and our own time seeking God’s plan for ourselves and for our families.

God made each of us differently….and yet, God and His word remain the same.  Don’t fall into the trap of labels……without using your discernment to know whether that label meets God’s requirements and follows God’s principles.  Don’t be so quick to swallow concepts hook, line and sinker without searching Scripture to find out if that concept is Biblical.  Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the methodology that worked for one child, will automatically work for all your children. And, if you happen to find the “perfect” method, don’t fall prey to thinking that everyone that uses that label, defines it the same way!

God wants us on our face before Him……searching for Him……studying His word for all areas of life and this INCLUDES our home education choices.  So before you label yourself, before you make choices for next year……whether those choices deal with methodology, curriculum, activities (Artios included) and more, spend some time, some quiet and focused time, studying what God says about parenting and education and make your choices based on the One who never changes……the one who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Last year I did an online class for parents on “A Biblical Worldview of Education”.  One of the statements made most often to me throughout that class was:  “I never thought of studying Scripture to find out if God said anything specifically about the education of my children.”  Throughout that class, I did not TELL people what to think and decide, but rather, we all went to Scripture individually and studied what GOD said and asked HIM to show us how to apply it to our own lives, our families and to the individual lives and education of our children.

I am in my 18th year of homeschooling……and as I face second semester with my last son at home, I am once again drawn to the fact……that I don’t have all the answers.  If someone tells you they do, or even acts like they do, they are kidding themselves. Thankfully, God does have all the answers and has given us principles that can guide us.  Will you join me in searching God’s Word for direction and guidance in the home education of our children?

Faith and Courage,

Lori