Stories of Those Gone on Before
You know how it is, you are browsing through curriculum, planning what you are going to do with your child(ren) the following year… you know you think about math, reading, grammar, science, history and the like. You get the basics of your year planned and voila. You are done.
Or are you?
Recently my husband and I were browsing through curriculum at a homeschool conference. We talked a bit about what to do with our son next year. I wanted to add some solid materials to his year, most of which he should be able to work through on his own with minimal input from me beyond me asking how’s it going, how can I help and are you managing to stay on track type of questions.
But you know. . . As I was sitting down tonight I got to thinking about how it’s good to have the academic backbone, but what about the moral ones? The things that hold that knowledge all together, the issues of faith and godliness and service and such.
What do I do with that?
How do I find ways to impart faith in real ways?
One can study the bible and this is good and right. Nothing really replaces getting down and dirty studying the word of God.
You can attend church services, Bible studies, youth groups and the like. These things are also great, learning about God through fellowship with others is such an important part of spiritual growth.
I thought about this and decided that there were other ways to make faith real to a child.
The studying of hymns. There is a lot of great teaching to be found in hymns, and learning about the folks who wrote the hymns? Those words of faith had to come from somewhere right? Learning those stories bring living out one’s faith into visible form.
The listening to the stories of those gone on before can also be seen through the studying of missionaries, preachers, and teachers. Seeing how God moved in their lives and helped them to do things beyond themselves is inspiring and hopefully broadens thought and belief in this amazing God that we love.
Consider how a depressed man can make beautiful music, in this hymn God Moves in a Mysterious Way. Good theology and an excellent talking point of how we can’t let how emotions/feelings/state of mind stop us from serving God. How about the blindness of Fanny Crosby? Her inability to see didn’t stop her from creating the numerous songs that we enjoy today such as Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine.
Consider how a girl, educated in a time when women were not educated, who went on to become a Christian spokesperson in her beloved homeland of Korea. Helen Kim gave students a Christian education despite government pressure to stop.
If we don’t study those who have gone on before, how will our students see how to put their faith into action, like Robert E. Lee standing by his convictions as a Christian and a Virginian as he fought in the Civil War? My son was impressed by his determination to do his duty regardless of the outcome as we listened to With Lee in Virginia by Heirloom Audio.
So as I plan out my new year with my son, I have determined that it is just as important to include these matters of faith. Hymns, stories, records of missionaries, musicians and people of history that can inspire my lad to do more. Don’t forget these important matters; how our children mature into adults is a vital part of our teaching and training them in our homeschooling.
What do you see as vital in your homeschooling journey?
Annette Vellenga is Loved by God and family – these things center me. She is a Writer, Poet, Hiker, Reader – these things make me smile. She does Educating, Raising a child, Involved with Critters – These things make me grow. She can be found at A Net in Time.
