A Generational Vision
What is a generational vision, and why is it important?
There’s always a conversation somewhere about how not everyone can homeschool because of _________ circumstances. You name it, we’ve all got struggles. Trust me, I can sympathize!
A very common refrain is, “There’s no way I could homeschool because I/we work. We can’t possibly afford it.” They simply write it off because they can’t envision fitting this new thing into their lifestyle.
But what if...
What if we looked past our current situation with a generational vision? What if we could look down the road to who our adult children might be, and to their children, and their children? What if we had the power...right now...to change our family tree?
Would your current house or car or neighborhood matter so much? Would you adjust your wants and your priorities a bit? Are you willing to make some big sacrifices for the chance to make a difference?
What if, instead of fitting homeschooling into your lifestyle, you fit your lifestyle into total family discipleship?
Christian home education isn’t really about school. It’s about the discipleship found in Deuteronomy 6. What if you could change everything around to do it? Would you?
A New American Dream
It’s time for a complete shift in thinking among Christian families. It’s called radical and legalistic by some, but really, it’s very old-fashioned.
Modern parents find themselves in a place where they have achieved the American Dream, but it doesn’t afford them the time or money for home education.
Or so they believe.
They have attained the nice house in a great neighborhood with the “best schools,” two nice cars, vacations every year, and important careers.
And then one day something or someone puts homeschooling on their hearts, and it seems absolutely impossible.
There are two things we can do to change this:
First, parents today, right now, can begin the radical shift away from the status quo. And then they can raise this generation of children with a new vision. We, as parents, need to share with our children a generational vision for discipleship, one that is opposite what we, and our parents, and our grandparents grew up with.
“The Bible is clear about what God expects out of the home and about how it is to be accomplished. Unfortunately, most Christians did not grow up in a home that taught these truths. Thus, we continue to repeat the ‘sins of the fathers.’” (Voddie Baucham)[1]
The Vision
What if we shared with our children the vision of the family and home that God designed? What if we modeled and encouraged the old ways, the biblical ways, the Puritan ways, from the time our children were young? Living on one income, being debt-free, wise money management, and desiring less of what the world has to offer.
It’s a tall order, to be sure.
It would require a wife and mother who is not caught up in the feminism of the world, but rather the awesome privilege it is to be a homemaker in every sense of the word. It would require a husband and father who is willing to be the sole income earner. It may require a whole new assessment of needs versus wants.
It would require a dedication to a generational vision that both husband and wife are committed to.
“In the last analysis, home happiness depends on the wife. Her spirit gives the home its atmosphere. Her hands fashion its beauty. Her heart makes its love. And the end is so worthy, so noble, so divine, that no woman who has been called to be a wife, and has listened to the call, should consider any price too great to pay, to be the light, the joy, the blessing, the inspiration of a home.” (J.R. Miller)[2]
Friends, don’t let the temporary comforts of this world take a higher priority than the full-time discipleship of your children. Childhood is short, but eternity is long. Invest fully in your children’s hearts now, and for generations to come.
References:
[1] Voddie Baucham, Family Driven Faith: Doing What It Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters Who Walk with God (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2007), 9.
[2] https://www.gracegems.org/30/jr_miller_quotes.htm