Convictions Part 2

In chapter 2 of Wise Women Build Houses I was much encouraged, but convicted in a completely different way. I was more convicted on the passionate need to appeal to Christian women to take up the banner of homeschooling.

This book is NOT about homeschooling, it is about building a wisdom house. In fact, she does not once mention homeschooling.

Proverbs 24:3-4  "By wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established: And by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches."

Chapter 2 is about SERVING in the wisdom house that you have established ( Proverbs 9:1).  The author challenged me with a great question "After building your wisdom house, how will you fill it?" she goes on to say that "Only by choosing an area and mastering a skill in it will we produce the excellent riches that properly appoint a true wisdom house."

.....HALT! STOP!....what does that mean? WOW! I camped on this one for a few minutes and really pondered what she was trying to say.

Right after this she continues "Skill produced in godliness brings multiple blessings".

The questions I asked myself were: "What are my skills? What do I think I have mastered that will or is producing multiple blessings?"

The answer for me was "Homeschooling (with an important understanding of Charlotte Mason's philosophy and gaining a conviction of the need for a passionate foundation of a philosophy of education, without which you are just homeschooling for the sake of homeschooling and not for the sake of really having a deep conviction on a philosophy of what education should look like). Okay, do you hear my passion? 

EVERY educational system has a goal and a philosophy!! Does the public school's philosophy of education match your religious convictions?! If you have no idea, then I challenge you to run to the bookstore and buy THIS BOOK to learn what the educational philosophy is in this nation! And IF it does NOT match GOD's WORD, then you really need to get your kids into a school system that matches GOD's philosophy of education! And frankly, the only philosophies that I have found that come close to God's way are Hebrew schools and Charlotte Mason's philosophy that can be read in THIS BOOK, which was written by Francis Schaeffer's  daughter!

Moving on and getting back to the topic.....

Proverbs 9:3 [Wisdom] has sent out her young women to call from the highest places in town, "Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!" To him who lacks sense she says, "Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways and live, and walk in the way of insight."

The author then goes on to say "Wisdom does not invite the wise and accomplished. She invites fools and know-nothings!....She is offering wisdom for life, and she wants to give it to young fools, those who are simple and naive. These simple ones still have the capacity to choose wisdom before hardening into incorricible fools".

---WOW! Sounds like our kids! Proverbs 22:15 says "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child".

So here is my question to you!! If God's WORD says that foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, then why are we sending them OUT of our "wisdom house" to go to an institution so that they can get educated and socialized in the presence of a "company of fools"? Proverbs 1:22 and 29 tell us that fools hate knowledge and instruction. How many kids in public school LOVE learning? How many of them love instruction and gaining knowledge!? Do your kids come home from school saying "I hate school"?

 I can tell you that my PASSION as a homeschooler was to get my kids to LOVE knowledge and learning! Shouldn't this be our gain in our wisdom house? Shouldn't we be passionately inviting our children daily to our banquet table of learning in our wisdom house? Shouldn't we be filling our homes with the best literature and music and books and giving our kids a chance to learn from the BEST environment possible?

In the book, the author goes on to list all the areas by which you as a "Lady Wisdom" can invite fools into your home. The list is as follows:

• If you have food, invite the hungy
• If you have clothing, invite the unclothed
• If you have healing hearts, invite the sick
• If you have fellowship, invite the lonely
• If you have counsel, invite the confused
• If you have teaching, invite the learners
• If you have the gospel, invite sinners

I would like to add to this list:

• If you are a wife, invite your husband!
• If you are a mom, invite your children!

The American church is consumed with each of us trying to figure out our individual calling. But, it grieves me deeply to see so many, well intentioned moms who really believe that their ministry is to people outside their own homes. God first called women to be wives, and then moms. This is our full-time ministry unless we are single. The other ministries can happen, but let your kids be homeschooled and let them see you inviting people in and training them first hand what it looks like to be a wisdom house!

As a mom, I challenge you to dig deep and consider inviting your children home to learn. If you don't have ANY vision for this and you really believe you are CALLED to send your kids to public school, please AT THE VERY LEAST.....read those 2 books that I added to this post and then give me a call!

Loving you deeply,

Adrienne