"Normal" is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work, driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for, in order to get to the job that you need so you can pay for the clothes, car and the house that you leave empty all day in order to afford to live in it.
Wanna be normal??
This quip appeals to me, I’m sure, because I’ve never considered myself normal. I have never quite fit in. Oh, I’ve felt the peer pressure to conform and the desire to be liked. But still, I often found myself on the fringes of groups, well-liked but not completely included.
I think that’s why I really enjoy homeschooling. During these formative years, when the kids are trying to figure out who they are and who they want to be, to form an identity apart from their parents, I don’t want the added pressure to move towards society. I want to encourage their formation towards God and His ways.
Some people think that’s wrong. They think parents should at the very least be neutral in their guidance concerning moral issues. The reality is that “those people” want the natural carnality in our children to gain the upper hand. They want them to desire to be part of the crowd, the group, enough that they’d abandon all their integrity, morality, and ethics. That’s repulsive to me - not because of me. It’s repulsive because it’s a blatant rejection of God and His ways.
The reality is: God is our Creator. As Creator, He gets to determine what’s right and what’s wrong. Furthermore, He’s given me the awesome responsibility (for which I will be held accountable) to rear my children in the admonition of the Lord. I’m told to teach them about God as they lie down, as they get up, and as they walk along the way. I’m supposed to teach them about God. That’s His directive, not mine. And I believe He gets to call the shots.
No, I have never considered myself normal. I’ve never quite fit in, and, in reality, I have never wanted to enough to give up, or compromise, my faith in Jesus Christ.
P.S. I was so hoping that one of you would say, "Really? You've never compromised your faith to fit in? Really?" I must admit after I hit publish that I could think of a few times when I should have made a better, wiser, more Godly choice. So I'm amending my statement to say that I didn't compromise for long. Like the prodigal, I repented and righted the relationship with my Father. And truly that's the "normal" reaction I want for my children throughout their lives - to be willing to repent when they're convicted of sin and to rely on the blood of Christ to restore the relationship with the Father.
Wanna be normal??
This quip appeals to me, I’m sure, because I’ve never considered myself normal. I have never quite fit in. Oh, I’ve felt the peer pressure to conform and the desire to be liked. But still, I often found myself on the fringes of groups, well-liked but not completely included.
I think that’s why I really enjoy homeschooling. During these formative years, when the kids are trying to figure out who they are and who they want to be, to form an identity apart from their parents, I don’t want the added pressure to move towards society. I want to encourage their formation towards God and His ways.
Some people think that’s wrong. They think parents should at the very least be neutral in their guidance concerning moral issues. The reality is that “those people” want the natural carnality in our children to gain the upper hand. They want them to desire to be part of the crowd, the group, enough that they’d abandon all their integrity, morality, and ethics. That’s repulsive to me - not because of me. It’s repulsive because it’s a blatant rejection of God and His ways.
The reality is: God is our Creator. As Creator, He gets to determine what’s right and what’s wrong. Furthermore, He’s given me the awesome responsibility (for which I will be held accountable) to rear my children in the admonition of the Lord. I’m told to teach them about God as they lie down, as they get up, and as they walk along the way. I’m supposed to teach them about God. That’s His directive, not mine. And I believe He gets to call the shots.
No, I have never considered myself normal. I’ve never quite fit in, and, in reality, I have never wanted to enough to give up, or compromise, my faith in Jesus Christ.
P.S. I was so hoping that one of you would say, "Really? You've never compromised your faith to fit in? Really?" I must admit after I hit publish that I could think of a few times when I should have made a better, wiser, more Godly choice. So I'm amending my statement to say that I didn't compromise for long. Like the prodigal, I repented and righted the relationship with my Father. And truly that's the "normal" reaction I want for my children throughout their lives - to be willing to repent when they're convicted of sin and to rely on the blood of Christ to restore the relationship with the Father.
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