Following God’s Call to Homeschool

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There are many excellent reasons why families choose the homeschool path. They may live in an area where the other educational options are limited or not to their academic standards. Bullying concerns cause some parents to bring their children home to learn. Sometimes learning disabilities and challenges can be addressed better in a supporting home environment. Some families have unique educational goals that are best addressed by the student-tailored education of homeschooling. All of these are great reasons to consider homeschooling and every homeschool family has a story, a reason why they’ve taken the road less travelled. For us, homeschooling was more than a decision. It was a calling.

I never imagined myself as a homeschool mom. I had never been around many homeschooling families. And those I had met didn’t paint homeschooling in the best light. But as my children grew and approached school age I found myself thinking more and more about our educational options. I came into contact with families who used homeschooling as a tool for discipleship. I loved the freedom and opportunities that homeschooling provided those families. I started considering the possibility of homeschooling my own children and imagining what that would look like.

I began praying, asking God to show us how He wanted us to raise our children. And the more I prayed the more I became convinced that God was calling me to homeschool them.

I think it’s important to note that I had a unique situation. My husband was the assistant principal at our local high school. His career is in public education. He wasn’t as excited about the prospect of homeschooling as I was. In fact, he wasn’t interested in it at all. His first response was a flat out “No.”

I poured out my heart to him. I told him how I felt the Lord was calling me to homeschool our three boys. He wasn’t moved. I asked him to pray about it. He said he would pray, but I had my doubts. I kept asking him if he was praying about us homeschooling the boys. He said he was, but I still doubted the sincerity of such prayers 🙂

As I continued to bring up the possibility of homeschooling our children, we continued to disagree. I was confused and frustrated. It was so clear to me what God was calling me to do. But my husband was not moved by my strong conviction. How could he not see this? It was so obvious to me.

The Lord gave me the wisdom to know that forcing my way was not the right approach. Division is made up of two words – “di” meaning two and “vision” meaning seeing forward into the future. Division means having two different visions. I knew that wasn’t God’s best for our family. He wanted my husband and me to be in agreement and to have unity in our home. And I saw that if I continued to push my way, it would bring a rift into our relationship.

So I prayed. And I fasted. For 40 days I fasted coffee. Fasting coffee may not seem like much of a sacrifice to you but I love coffee. I actually run a coffee bar now. Giving up coffee for 40 days meant a lot to me. Therefore, I knew it would mean a lot to the Lord because it was a sacrifice to me.

Please understand, I didn’t pray that God would change my husband. I prayed that God would speak to both of us so we would be in unity. I told the Lord I was more than willing to homeschool my children if that was His will for me, but I couldn’t do so unless He spoke to my husband also. At the same time, I laid homeschooling on His altar. I saw the vision. I saw the possibilities. I wanted to walk this path because I believed it to be God’s plan but I wasn’t going to force my way. God would have to speak and make His plan clear to both of us.

I was comforted as I thought of Mary and Joseph. God asked a lot of Mary. Her calling was a difficult one, to raise the Son of God. Is there a higher calling on earth? And she was willing and obedient. But God had to speak to Mary’s husband on her behalf. The same God who spoke to Mary spoke to Joseph.

The more I prayed and asked the Lord to show me His will for our family the more I felt the calling to homeschool my boys. I can’t explain it. It was just there, weighing on my heart.

During this time of prayer and fasting I reached out to others I trusted. One was an older woman whose opinion matters to me. I asked her to lunch and told her the whole story and how much I wanted to homeschool but Michael didn’t see it. She told me she didn’t believe in homeschooling except in extreme cases. This was so disappointing to me because, like I said, her opinion meant a lot to me. I spoke to other friends who had kids who were also about to be school age but they felt no such calling to homeschool.

So, finally, I did the only thing I could do. I put it in the Lord’s hands. I told Him, “Here I am, willing to obey. But I also submit this into your hands. I will not cause division in my home. My prayer became, “The same God who spoke to Mary spoke to Joseph. I don’t understand this desire to homeschool. If it’s Your calling, speak to Michael. If it’s not, please take away this desire and replace it with Your peace. I surrender it to You.”

Then I moved on. I told my husband I still felt the call to homeschool but I submitted it to the Lord and wouldn’t press the issue any longer.

Two months later I told my husband I was going to our pediatrician to get my son’s immunization record so I could register him for school. He told me, “ No, I don’t think you should do that. I think you should homeschool him.”

I almost fell out of my chair.

What had caused this change of heart? He said he was dead set on David going to kindergarten but when he went to get the paperwork to register him he couldn’t fill it out. He said he believed the Lord spoke to Him that I was to homeschool our children.

I was super excited, and thankful that God had spoken to Michael and brought peace into the situation. But God didn’t speak until I had surrendered the situation into His hands.

Michael did have a few requests. He asked that we try homeschooling on a year-by-year basis. I agreed. And he reserved the right at any time to speak into the process. If he felt our children weren’t getting what they needed academically, we would send them to public school.

He also wanted them to take standardized tests on the same schedule as public school students, which isn’t a requirement in our state. I agreed.

In all we homeschooled our three sons for 12 years. Eventually, each one entered the public school system as a high school freshman. (Currently, they all attend the high school where their father serves as principal.) They were more than prepared academically. But most of all I was able to disciple them and develop a strong relationship with each of my sons. Those relationships are still strong today. I’m so thankful for that.

Unlike some homeschool advocates, I do not think homeschooling is the right choice for every family. I believe God has a unique plan and purpose for each family. It’s up to us to pray and find out what His path looks like for us. We have to figure out the puzzle we’ve been given.

Homeschool was part of our calling. I’m so thankful it was.

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