Thoughts inspired by Pride and Prejudice

Thoughts inspired by contemplating this question while reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin.

Is there anything in my life that I am doing to impress others more than a desire to be true to God?

I know that in my homeschooling I am still very sensitive to the outward appearance of learning and reaching certain benchmarks according to the public perception of when something should be learned. My reasons for this are not all purely selfish or vain. Part of me is just so sensitive to the home vs public school debate that I don’t want to give anyone a reason to badmouth homeschooling. I want to prove, through the success of my children, to everyone that homeschooling is an especially effective, and successful option. My mistake is made when I imply that “success” has to be immediate and constant—and not just in the end result.

I cannot explain to all of the people within my sphere of influence that I have a tried and true process and that my timeline is not the same as theirs. I can’t tell them that inspiration is fundamental to how and when I teach certain things. I don’t have time to explain that if my children learn according to their wants/needs then the lesson learned will be so much more effective when it is finally learned.  I just simply don’t have time to go into depth about all the theories behind my homeschooling choices. Nor do they want me to.

Most people don’t really want to know why I do the things I do. They don’t want to listen to my opinions. They simply want to make sure that their child is doing okay-that their child is ahead of the game. They want to be able to compare and feel justified in their own choices.

So why do I worry about what they think of me or of my desire to homeschool or their opinion of my child’s intelligence? Why do I hamper my children with conveyor-belt style educational leftovers from public school? I yell, urge, twist, manipulate and am constantly frustrated by the tail-chasing that I do.

If I was true to principles given by God however, I would eventually have not only a wonderfully educated, loving, righteous, brilliant child who grows up to fulfill their own individual mission here upon this earth but also the respect of any friends or colleagues who’s opinions and regard are worth having.

God’s way is NEVER manipulative! He never twists things to His advantage. He does urge, but rarely, if ever, yells. His way is completely based on principle. He does not cater to the public whim. He does not fluctuate with every new fad or theory. He created the heavens. He organized the earth. He is the alpha and the omega. He knows what he is doing. Why would I care more about the opinions of my neighbor than I care about the inspiration from the Lord of Lords? His definition of success might be different from that of my neighbor, but whose idea of success would you rather reach? Would you rather hear, “hey, nice job! Your son made it into Harvard and was voted most likely to succeed class of 2015.” Or, “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”