How to Produce Godly Children. From One Homeschool Zealot to Another.
By Contributing Writer, Bambi Moore
This is not what I intended this post to be about. As a matter-of-fact, I started three different posts about the topic of education, and then deleted each one.
I had some good brainstorms going about how society defines a successful education versus what God says. Yeah, that might have been a pretty decent post.
Then I wrote another one based on statistics of the test scores of homeschoolers, as well as what some powerful CEO’s said were qualities of a good employee. No, it’s not the good grades, but (you guessed it) good character qualities and social skills. Yep, that post might have been encouraging. But it’s now in the recycle bin.
Then I deleted another post about what the ingredients are for my own (large) family’s personal homeschool and how individualistic education really is. Yawn.
I love to talk about education. In fact, I consider myself a homeschool zealot. That’s because I love home educating my children. I love being the one to teach them to read; to watch the light in their precious eyes grow brighter and brighter as they slowly sound out “rrrraaaaattt ssssaaaaatttt”.
I love being the one to lean over my babes and steady their still-chubby hands on a pencil for the first time and show them “This is your name” and watch that slowly sink in. I love grading the chemistry test and telling the teen she got a perfect score and witnessing the delight on her face. I love being the one to choose adventurous, masculine books for a growing boy because I know him so well I can choose exactly what he will enjoy.
What a joy and privilege! And it makes my heart hurt for others to be afraid of this blessing because Satan has woven his crafty lies into our society and caused us to think we aren’t capable of teaching our own children what they need to know to live their lives. Regardless of the big issue of “Is it commanded in scripture?”, if we would just simply see the joy that there is in standing alongside our children and watching the Lord grow their minds! Instead of seeing home education as a “you have to” we can instead view it as “you get to”.
But that zeal I have is not really what this post is about either.
As much as I praise God for the opportunity to home educate my children, and as diverse as homeschoolers are and as unique as each child’s education is, there is something, that if found missing will ruin our children as well as every chance they have to turn out to be God-glorifying human beings.
Jesus.
Homschooling isn’t enough to produce godly children. Only Jesus can. We can give them a great education. We can even give them an education based on biblical principles. But if we don’t give them the gospel we haven’t done our job.
The Three R’s
The amount of families who homeschool is growing year by year. People make the decision for various reasons, but all Christian parents would say they want their children to grow up to serve the Lord and many might even say they are striving to be diligent to teach their kids not to conform to the seductive world around them. I am one of those. I pray that my children will reject this godless culture as well as passionless, watered-down Christianity. I pray that they will be mighty arrows shot out into the world to go do the Lord’s work. But to get them there, what do I have to do?
- I can give them an excellent education and teach them classical languages with the latest and greatest language programs.
- I can require them to read long lists of great books.
- I can start them early. I can start them late. I can unschool or I can require a rigid schedule.
- I can insist they memorize large portions of scripture.
- I can help them identify their unique skills and talents, and encourage an entrepreneurial spirit.
- I can run myself ragged taking them to museums, art shows, music lessons, sporting events and all sorts of awesome field trips.
- I can teach them that education never stops for seasons or ends at a certain age. It’s ongoing.
All of these are good to do. But the truth is none of this stuff matters if I haven’t given them the 3 R’s: Ruin, Redemption and Regeneration
Charles Spurgeon said:
Be sure, whatever you leave out, that you teach the children the three R’s–Ruin, Redemption, and Regeneration. Tell the children that they are ruined by the fall and that there is salvation for them only by being redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ and regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Keep constantly before them these vital truths…
We have done nothing for our children unless we have taught them the absolute necessity of a changed heart. May God enable us to keep this constantly before their eyes, that there must be a broken heart, a contrite spirit and that good works will be of no avail unless there is a new nature within them. “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18
We can wear ourselves out with homeschooling, finding the best curriculum suited to their individual needs, keeping on top of sinful attitudes, protecting them as well as preparing them for the day that we can’t shelter them. But we must always be deeply aware of how very little we have to do with the child’s salvation, but that it is God Himself who must do it, as well as produce the godly fruits of repentance. Again, Spurgeon says:
You are simply a pen: God can write with you, but you cannot write anything by yourself. You are a sword: God can slay the child’s sin with you, but you cannot slay it of yourself.
As I instruct my children, I must work for a higher Teacher than myself or my children will perish. It is not my homeschooling them that will make them godly. Only the saving of their souls will do that, and only the blessing of God the Holy Spirit accompanying me and blessing my labors, will crown my efforts with success.
Tags: education, parenting, relationship with God
Bambi we will begin home educating our children this yr and thank you for this lovely and encouraging post. Jesus is the One who will change the hearts of our children and we as parents cannot change their hearts.
I love your blog.
Amen! Awesome post Bambi!
Thank you, Nicole
I’m glad you are encouraged and pray you have a great year as you minister at home to your children 
Thank you for this reminder! It is so easy to get caught up in teaching and instruction of curriculum and shooting to meet educational goals and miss the basics of instructing our children in righteousness. I get so detail oriented and focused on completing lessons that I often let instruction in biblical virtues fall by the way side. I find this ironic because I constantly remind mothers to keep their child’s soul in focus. We are homeschooling because we understand it provides a better academic education, but more importantly because we know that the enemy is on the prowl to destroy our child’s soul – not their GPA.
Crystal <
Bambi,,
Thank you for this post and helping us to always be mindful of what is truly important when it comes to educating our children.
” Their soul, not their GPA.” Love it, Crystal!
Bambi,
This is an excellent post that truly gets to the heart of parenting and homeschooling. It is encouraging and yet humble, keeping Christ at the very center. Thank you for writing it!
Blessings,
Erica
Great post, Bambi! This has been on my heart, also, as I was working on my August post. What a critical message, one that we need to take to heart!! Thanks for going with the Lord’s leading.
As an older homeschool mom of adult children, I would like to add one important ingredient into the mix of “How to produce godly children”. I think the most important thing is to realize that you and I cannot produce godly children. You can do the spiritual “3 R’s” mentioned along with excellent training and be the very best parent in the world but ultimately it is up to your children to decide. God is our example of the best parent in the universe with the greatest plan and program failthfully implimented to his first born children. He spent quality & quantity time teaching them all the spiritual laws & truth’s yet they still rebelled. We have to be very careful of thinking we can “produce” anything or we may be tempted into a false sense of prideful parenting when our children chose to go in the right direction. I have witnessed many homeschooling families looking their noses down on others who have served Christ, homeschooled and gave everything to raise godly children but one child rebelled. The attitude is that it was the parents fault somehow in their training. Please remember that there are multitudes of parents who have done all you have recommended and more who have one son or daughter who chose to go their own way. They are suffering and need our loving compassion, prayers and understanding. So yes, do all you can to serve your children and raise them well but please do NOT take any credit for it. Ultimately it will be God working in the heart of your child and up to your son or daughter to decide if they are going to listen. I understand you mentioned this in part but I want to take a step further. If we look at the many godly sons or daughters who came from worldly upbringings you will see this as God’s work in a heart submitted to Him (not a result of good parenting). Yes, we are to honor God by fulfilling our calling but ulitimately it has nothing to do with us and everything to do Him. It is Christ alone working His grace into your child’s heart~through a surrendered life to Him.
Amazing post, Bambi! I’ve been home educating for over ten years now, and all I can say is AMEN!!! I’ve been meditating on this very same thing. Thank you so much for articulating it so well.
♥ Joy
Thank you for the insightful comment, Lisa. You summed up the point of this post beautifully!
Me as well, Joy. The Lord is good
So glad you scrapped the first few posts Bambi!! The LORD is with you!
Wow, you hit the nail on the head and reminded us of the foundation! How easily we forget to place our trust and goals and plans on Him. Blessing (and I miss you), Terry
Love ,Love ,Love this!! Just what I needed to read when thinking of a new school year! Thanks for being such a great encourager!!!
So encouraging, Bambi. Maybe someday we’ll get to read all those other posts too!!! I love your heart and focus.
Thanks Bambi. I have been homeschooling for a long time and I did not always see clearly what you wrote about here. We wanted godly children living for the Lord. We memorized Scripture, taught biblical principles and tried to live as godly examples. What we didn’t do is consistently present the gospel, the need for Jesus to change our hearts. We are dealing with some of the fruit of that – an adult son that is struggling with his relationship with the Lord. He still “believes” what we have taught him, he says he respects us and has no accusations toward us, but he doesn’t want to or feels he can’t surrender to the Lord. We know that only the Holy Spirit can turn his heart fully, and he is responsible for his actions. But we are also responsible for how we have or haven’t represented God. None of us can be perfect parents, and there are no guarantees that that our children will follow the Lord, but we have a calling to train our children, teach our children, be examples for our children, disciple our children AND keep their need for Christ before their eyes. It is a serious calling, one filled with hopes and dreams, fears and dangers, and great joy and sometimes sorrow.
Heather, Your comment touched my heart. It is full of wisdom and born of experience and I pray others reading will see it and note the gravity of your tone. I have a young adult as well. There are sooooo many things I wish we had done differently. I am so thankful for the Lord’s mercy that has covered us and continues to…although, as you so beautifully articulated….this doesn’t mean we let our guard down, either. I have asked the Lord to grant you wisdom.
Blessings to you and your family!
I just love the way you write…it is beautifully thought provoking! Such a great post…such a great reminder as we moms are busy planning next years school year or have already begun school…to lead them to Christ is the most important.
Thank you Bambi,
This was a wonderful post!
Meagan
Amen, amen, amen! He alone saves!