One of the hardest lessons I have had to teach in my six years of homeschooling took place Wednesday morning.
Although science is by far the subject I understand the least, the lecture was not related to that field. Occasionally I am stumped by a difficult middle school math problem, but that was not the case on Wednesday either. Behavior issues often arise that prove to be challenging, but this lesson was not related to discipline.
Of the various subjects I teach on multiple grade levels, the topic that had to be addressed came directly from God’s Word.
Brandon and Nicholas have implemented an independent daily quite time of prayer, reading the Bible, and journaling. Zachary, however, still reads Scripture aloud to me each morning before we briefly discuss the passage together. He completed the book of Psalms and is now beginning the New Testament. Wednesday’s verses were from Matthew 4:18-22.
The passage appears harmless enough. Jesus is calling his first disciples. Initially, one would consider these words more informative than applicable. My inquisitive son, however, often asks the unexpected questions, leading to a deeper examination than anticipated.
Zachary expressed concern after reading in verses 21 and 22 that the new disciples left their father to follow Jesus. “Why did they leave their dad?”
“Because Jesus told them to,” I replied.
“Why didn’t their dad go, too?” he asked.
“Jesus only asked them to go, not their father.” Forcing myself to continue, I further explained, “We don’t always understand why God asks some to stay near family and some to move far away, but we are to obey Jesus no matter what He calls us to do or where that may be.”
We constantly train our children to obey God. We enhance those instructions by helping them understand the meaning of the Bible, God’s written words to us. Nevertheless, I would rather have to explain calculus or physics than give my boys a reason to move away far away from me one day!
However, biblical truths must not be avoided, ignored, or excused as being applicable for someone – anyone - other than my own children. The consequences of dismissing select Scripture passages such as these verses are far worse than sharing their truths and teaching obedience to all of God’s Word.
As Christian parents, Mike and I will support our children in whatever God leads them to do, wherever that may be. Do I want them to move far from us? Absolutely not! But I do want them to obey God wholeheartedly, and that is more important than how close they live to me.
My precious eight year-old was adamant in stating he has no desire to leave his parents and, in fact, prefers living with us forever. Furthermore, he insisted that his older brothers should stay at home as long as possible, too. When he realized that Brandon is less than six years away from college, he stated, “Life is just going by too fast!”
You’re absolutely right, Zachary!
As life races along, let us keep pace and obey God even if He calls us away from family and friends and even if He asks us to teach our dearly loved children a lesson we would rather ignore.
“Immediately, they left the boat and their father, and followed Him [Jesus].” Matthew 4:22
3 comments:
Great post! Hard, but great lesson. I love you!
Good post. Thanks for sharing. I always have to remind myself that we are not raising our children to entertain us in our old age. I pray for joy in whatever, or wherever, God calls them.
Alison, your posts are going to be a treasure to your boys. Great job!
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