Fear

I think something most people struggle with in life is fear. Fear comes in various disguises but is prevalent in most people’s lives. Fear involving money, your spouse, your time, your children, church situations, moving, your job, friendships, health, addictions, and of course, fear of death… There is always something that provides an opportunity to fear. I see fear very frequently in homeschool parents. They talk about how they fear for their children’s futures, fear that they won’t be “socialized” enough (so much to unpack with that word another time!), fear they might not be smart enough to teach their child, fear that they aren’t patient enough, organized enough, or disciplined enough to homeschool. And what about being able to financially afford it? Homeschooling doesn’t always mean one income, but it often does. And it always requires sacrifice. Sacrifice of time, and sacrifice of money. As a matter of fact, it requires sacrificing your entire self for someone else. There’s a lot of fear in that thought too! How can I be around my kids 24/7? How can I be all I need to be for my child? 

The Bible certainly talks about fear. It talks a lot about NOT fearing, to be exact. I found it interesting that when you look it up, you find it says “do not be afraid” 365 times in Scripture. We know the God of the universe, who made the intricacies of your DNA, all of cellular biology and complicated chemistry, the God who created the entire physical world and larger universe that we’re still struggling to discover today, THAT God didn’t leave this number, or anything else, to chance. He gave us this many verses about fear because He knew we humans were going to battle it every day. He knew we needed to hear it every day of the year.

One of the most powerful verses about fear is Psalm 37:8 which says “Do not fret, it leads only to evil.” Only. Never, ever does it lead to good. God is saying there is no reason out there which is so good, that fear is actually the right response. No situation where your list becomes so long with valid reasons to fear, that your fear actually leads to good things. God says it ONLY EVER leads to evil. There is nowhere else it will lead.

So I try to encourage homeschool parents to not let fear dictate what they do with their children. Do what you know is best for your child based on the facts you know today. Facts about what is actually happening in schools with both the level of education, the content of the education, and the result of this “socialization” on children mentally and physically. We should base our decisions on the facts of today and leave tomorrow to the Lord. “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matt 6:34). And when you see your own weaknesses, as you carry the cross God has given you, we can remember that God says “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor 12:9).