Kindling a Love of History

Being homeschooled from day one brought many blessings into my life. One of which was an early love for history. The Old Testament fascinated me, as did tales about the men, women and times that formed my American heritage. In my mid-teens this interest boomed into an obsession to learn all I could about Western history in general. I simply couldn’t get enough. During this time history not only became a love; it became part of my heart and worldview. It became mine.

Looking back, I see this lifelong passion was kindled by my parents’ method of teaching – if you can call it a method. It was more like a path, a trail they led me down until the beauty of it captured me and sent me running to discover more. This introduced history as a riveting novel, complete with characters, conflict and continuity flowing from the heart of the Great Author Himself.

History’s Characters: Someone Like Me Who Lived Long Ago

While I read many biographies growing up, the one consistent tool that made history personal to me was the Bible. How did God tell us about the history that was important to Him? He didn’t inspire a list of dates, names and unrelated historical highlights. Rather, He chose stories with characters: characters who failed, characters who sinned and characters who repented and walked in holiness. Our God wove major events into His history book, but as a skillful Author, He knows the lives of real people is the best avenue to teach us His truth.

History’s Conflict: The Clash of Worldviews

Behind every kingdom’s rise and fall, every leader’s success and failure, and every manuscript, is a worldview. The first worldview clash happened in a garden called Eden; it’s been raging ever since. History divorced from worldviews – be it the worldview that bred Hitler’s hatred of the Jews, collapsed Rome or fueled the bravery of martyrs and heroes – is as frustrating as a tale without purpose or victory.

 History’s Continuity: The Promise Of Meaning

The evolutionary worldview (upon which many history textbooks are based) teaches history is random happenings that have no connection to the past or the future. It is this very lie that has caused many students to hate history. Can we blame them? Who wants to study meaninglessness?

History only has a point when it points to the King of kings. This is one of the big reasons I love history. The more I learn, the more I see our God’s signature on every page. The records declare the glory of God, the ruins showeth His handiwork. Seeing His work through time ignites my faith that He is also working in my story. Characters, conflict and continuity: they are what makes the story; they are what makes history a personal promise with meaning. Just as it should be.

Kenzi Knapp desires to proclaim the reconciliation of Mankind through the blood of Jesus Christ. A homeschool graduate currently enrolled in God’s Great Course of Faith, Kenzi lives with her family on an Ozark homestead. She enjoys writing, biking, playing the piano and mountain ocarina, studying history and encourages young women to build mission-centered businesses at her blog, Honey Rock Hills.