Do You Want to Quit Homeschooling?
I recently ran into a sweet, godly homeschooling mother. She hesitantly shared with me that she may not be homeschooling her oldest through high school; instead she was considering private school. I could tell she was nervous to tell me, but I reassured her I didn't judge her decision; after all, if God guides you to put your child in school, He has a reason for it. This caused her to stop and ponder. She admitted she wasn't sure if God was guiding her to do it. Her reasons for quitting homeschooling had more to do with fear, confusion, feelings of inadequacy, and relational concerns.
I encouraged her to wait for the Lord's peace—to seek Him and be led by His Spirit. I shared that God may very well guide her to put her child in school, but to listen carefully because she wouldn’t want her child to walk that path if it were not God’s perfect will. Anytime we make decisions based on fear, inadequacy, or our emotions—rather than on a strong peace from God—we risk falling onto a trail that is dark and much more difficult to traverse than the one we’re currently on. Decisions rooted in insecurity often lead us (and our children) to places we don’t really want to go.It's hard to find true peace and joy when we are not following the narrow path marked out for our family. That path may include putting our children in school. But it may not. The key is to find out—not through human reason—but through the leadership of the Holy Spirit. His leading is always accompanied by confidence and peace.When we experience trials and tribulations in our marriage, we don't consider it a sign that we need to get a divorce. Likewise, when we experience trials and tribulations in our homeschool, it's not a sign that we need to put our children in school; it’s an opportunity to watch our very big God overcome and give us a victory in all of our seemingly impossible situations. We will enter rocky terrain in our homeschool, but that’s not the time to turn back. It's the time to call upon God who will either remove the rocks from our path or give us supernatural strength to climb over them.God is able to overcome all the struggles, trials, temptations, and relational problems we face in our homeschooling. Prayer works, especially when it's coupled with the belief that God will most certainly come to our rescue, and the expectation that He cares and will certainly show up in a powerful way. In the same way we are certain the sun will rise, we should expect God to rescue us from the deep waters that threaten to drown us. This is faith—knowing that God is coming to our aid.
To quit homeschooling because of turbulence is to give up. This gives the enemy a victory, for we have not been given a spirit of fear (that's from the evil one). If he can gain ground in your life by causing you to disregard the thing to which God has called you, he has achieved a victory. It is the enemy’s plan to continue gaining ground in your family’s life. We must learn to fight the battle with the weapons God has provided for our warfare—the Word of God and worship.I believe there is only one valid reason for quitting homeschooling: You feel a strong peaceful leading from the Lord that you should not homeschool anymore. You “know that you know” the decision is from God and not because it seems the only solution to your problems. God has a perfect course for your family, and He longs to direct your steps. Maybe you aren't sure why you feel such a peace about not continuing to homeschool, but you just feel strongly led in that direction. In that case, you would be wrong to continue homeschooling.
For more encouragement on your homeschool journey, read my Top 10 Reasons Why We Homeschool.