Experts?

Have you ever felt inadequate to teach your children?  If so, join the club! We all have subjects that we don't know or feel like we can teach. 

But what do you do when faced with your inadequacy?  Do you ask the Lord to help you find a class run by an "expert" in the subject? I know that's a very common response. But instead of immediately looking for outside help, I'd like to encourage you to ask the Lord what to do with an open mind. Don't just assume you need someone else to teach the subject--God may want to use your very inability to demonstrate what a wonderful teacher He makes.

When Katherine entered high school years ago, I was more than a little concerned. God had carried us this far, but now we were getting into things that counted. How could I possibly teach her all the things she needed to know?  She desperately wanted to learn Spanish, but beyond ¿Como está usted? (how are you) and gracious (thank you), I don't speak Spanish. I could have easily rushed to enroll her in a class so an "expert" could teach her, but I didn't. Instead, I got to watch God Himself teach my daughter her Spanish. She learned it on her own using a variety of different resources. And God Himself provided opportunities for her to speak with others and get the oral practice she needed.

While Katherine was recently in Spain, people were amazed at how well she spoke Spanish.  Know that God can teach your children what they want/need to know if you will ask and depend on Him.  

I always smiled when people would find out that my children were homeschooled and exclaim, "Wow, your mom must be smart!"  I trained my children to respond with the truth--"Oh, my mom's not really smart. She just knows the smartest person in the whole world--God.  He helps her."  

God doesn't expect you to know everything that your children will learn. He expects you to trust Him to be the teacher.  As you diligently impart what you can and seek His help, God will show you and your children what you/they need to know.  Very rarely have I seen the Lord send us outside our home to meet a learning need.  

All too often we are quick to run and find others that are considered experts to teach our children subjects that we find difficult.  Sometimes it is so easy to sign them up for this class and that class. We don't realize that we're losing valuable training time in going from one thing to another and missing out on letting God teach our children through our inabilities. 

I'm not saying you should never enroll your child in a class. But don't buy into the world's lie that you need to be an expert in a field in order to teach it. Know that God can teach your children what they need to know through you if He chooses.

I would like to challenge you to look at your schedule this year as well as at your plans for next year.  Don't rely on the "experts" any more than you do on yourself. Rely on the Lord--only He can teach your children perfectly--and He is a GOOD teacher! 

This article was written by Cris Loop from Christian Perspective, a family ministry dedicated to encouraging homeschooling families through a variety of methods, including resources, free e-mail newsletters, e-mail/phone support, and speaking engagements. Our mission is to help families "Seek the LORD, and his strength" (Psalm 105:4) in every aspect of life.  Read more about Cris and her family at their website: www.christianperspective.net .