Homeschool Curriculum: Why the Bible is Really the Most Important Book
We all want our children to be successful. We want to give them the best education we possibly can, so they will be successful. I think sometimes homeschool moms carry the weight of it all, because we want our children to be smart and be able to stand up next to other children who attend public or private schools. That’s one of the reasons why we want to make sure we use the right homeschool curriculum. If our children haven’t learned as much or aren’t as smart as those other children, we feel that we’ve failed in some way. Maybe we even feel that our children are behind and they will never catch up.
Have you ever felt this way, or are you going through some of this right now? Grab your pen and notebook and maybe even your bible and let me show you how you can ensure your children will be successful no matter what curriculum you use or how different their learning path is from other children their age.
You Only Have a Short Time
It is hard to just trust the Lord sometimes when we are in the weeds of homeschooling day in and day out. I think we can forget that books and homeschool curriculum are just tools to teach our children to read, write, and do arithmetic, so that they can continue to learn the rest of their lives when they leave our homes.
We forget that we don’t have to teach them everything they will ever need in life. There’s a lot that they will have to learn on their own and from their own experiences and whatever circumstances the Lord sees fit to put them in and bring them through.
We only have them for such a short amount of their whole lives, about 18-20 years in most cases. That’s only about 1/5 of their entire lives. We get to give them a good head start. We are part of laying the foundation for the rest of their lives. And while this isn’t the longest part of their lives, the foundation is the most important.
Success Does Not Come from Homeschool Curriculum
Let’s look at what God says brings success. There are 2 passages in the bible that I read recently. They are Psalm 1 and Jeremiah 17 verses 7 and 8. I know it wasn’t a coincidence that I just happened to read these 2 passages on the same day. I feel like the Lord orchestrated it to show me this very thing I am writing about today.
In case you don’t have your bible on hand I will go ahead and write out the passages for you here. These passages are taken from the King James version of the bible.
Psalm 1
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinner, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Therefor the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment. Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous. But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Now let’s look at a very similar part of Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 17: 7-8
Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
So there you have it. 2 almost parallel passages written about 100 to 200 years apart that give instructions for a successful life not only for our children but for us as well.
The Place for Homeschool Curriculum
Should we minimize the academics and only read the bible to our children? Of course not, there are laws about children being in school, but my point is don’t put so much emphasis on the academics and leave no time or little time for what God specifically tells us will lead our children to a prosperous and blessed life. There needs to be a balance.
It can be so easy to get into academics and get all the schoolwork done each day and not be able to fit in the bible reading or bible study, because it’s not required by your state. Maybe you don’t even take your children to church every week.
I want to encourage you to not leave these most important things for another time. These are the things that are going to bring them to the point of being people that are honest, hardworking, and caring. It’s not through homeschool curriculum or learning Greek and Latin or getting a high score on the SAT. Those things might get them a higher salary, but they are not going to get them favor with God. That comes through knowing and living according to God’s word. It is also through your Godly example.
Your Children are not going to get that foundation without you. You need to be there advocating for the right thing, and you need to be doing this yourself as well. You need to set an example.
Get into God’s Word and Set the Foundation
- Set aside time for yourself to be in God’s word
- Have a time of prayer every day
- Read the bible and pray with your children
- Go to church and bring your children with you!
Wouldn’t it be such a shame if we gave our children the best education using the best homeschool curriculum and didn’t give them the foundation for a life that God would want to or even must bless, because they love Him and his word?
I didn’t mean for this to sound harsh, but I wanted to remind you what is most important. And if you haven’t been diligent in these things, if you haven’t been building this necessary foundation that your kids need to build their lives on, maybe you should pray and ask the Lord to show you where you are lacking and where you need to make changes. A simple tweak to your homeschool schedule could make all the difference.
I wanted to offer you something practical here as well. I have designed journal pages for you and your children. This is just a simple one-page printout where you can record your bible reading for the day and write down any thoughts or questions about what you read or to copy any verses that spoke to your heart that day. There is also a generic bible reading schedule to read through the bible in a year.
I am also working on my own bible reading schedule to read the bible through in a year, but it’s not quite ready yet, but if you grab the journal pages, and sign up with your email I will let you know when the bible reading schedule is ready or I can just email them to you. You can also just search online for free schedules. There are so many available. I just haven’t found one that I personally prefer, so I am making one for myself that I would also like to share with all of you as well.
Click here to grab the generic bible reading schedule and journal pages. There are separate
Journal pages for boys and girls as well as one for adults. I hope you and your children enjoy them!
I am cheering you on!
Want to read more about choosing the right homeschool curriculum for your family? Click here!
Please email me with any questions or message me on facebook!
Mary@whatabouthomeschooling.com
~”…and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.” Prov. 16:21
Wishing you all the best!
~Mary