Declaration of Dependence

For the Dear Ones of GCCHSA and Beyond:

One morning soon the big yellow buses will roll down the streets of our county, collecting eager and hesitant students alike and taking to them to some of the finest schools in the state for the beginning of a fresh school year. I have enjoyed waving to neighbor friends standing curbside as they launch into another grade, inches taller and maybe a few shades tanner after a summer of sprinkler play and firefly catching. My heart swells for them!

What I would love to see on that same morning, if I could peel away the walls of certain homes in between bus stops, is the flurry of activity in the kitchens and classrooms of those who have claimed the privilege to educate their children in an increasingly accepted fashion. Oh, to peek in and see the young ones on sofas reading great books with older siblings. Or the ones still with their bedheads, dressed as superheroes, leaning over science lap books or Latin Primers!  I would love to be able to drop by unannounced and give an "Atta Girl!" to the veteran mama who takes up her phonics flashcards one more time, or maybe to bolster the new-to-homeschooling family who are eating their words that they would NEVER consider homeschooling.

Too often the mention of home education is couched in an apology, or conversely, it is thrown in with an air of self-righteousness. Either reaction represents a myopic view that having the luxury of home educating the children granted to us is in some way a measure of our selves. To think that our current form of instruction is the key to apparent success is to discount the fact that the God who sees us has been working well before and beyond our own plans. Only when we clearly see our inherent dependence on the Lord through the lens of Scripture can we have the pure joy of citing the blessings in our work.

As we begin this next season in the service of our families, let's remember that we do so for the glory of the One who grants new mercies each morning. He is the only One who loves steadfastly, never failing in His faithfulness to us. So much more than the appeal of a clean sheet of college paper or a freshly sharpened #2 pencil, the new beginning He confers to those who seek His forgiveness is one of hope beyond imagination.

Let's watch together with joyful anticipation for the first opportunities to brag on the Lord's provision for our families. The Lord is good to those who wait on Him.  Let's examine our ways and defer to His. God willing, our children will recall these days of instruction in our homes as ones that were centered on the Faithful One.