Into the World...

John 17. 14  (Jesus says) "I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world."

Seven years ago, we struggled with making a decision.  Russ and I discussed our options over and over; we talked to friends, we consulted our parents, and we prayed that the Lord would tell us what to do.  The question:  should we homeschool Sophia for kindergarten?  Our answer came through the passage above, in which Jesus prays for his disciples.  Jesus was soon to return to heaven, leaving his disciples to carry on the work He had begun.  I found what He did not pray for as compelling as what He did pray for his spiritual children.  He did not pray that they would ascend into heaven with Him ... yet.  He did not pray that they would be removed from the public arena in an effort to shield them from the inevitable hurts, questions, insults.  He simply prayed that they would be protected from the evil one while they were in the place He called them to be, i.e. the world.  He stated He had given them Truth and asked that God, using that Truth, would set them apart for a sacred purpose.  Then Jesus sent them out.  As I read those words during my quiet time in early August, 2001, I sensed I should do the same thing.  We had given Sophia as much Truth as a little five-year-old could take in, trusting God would both protect and use her.  Looking back, this was so much easier to do in 2001 than it has been in 2008.  

Although we have homeschooled our children off and on during the years, this year Sophia is attending 7th grade at a public middle school.  When I picked her up yesterday we had an interesting conversation.  The subject was homosexuality.  A girl in her class casually mentioned that her older sister was homosexual. Sophia told her that she believes homosexuality is wrong.  Interestingly, both girls had just come from a classroom session that dealt with handling disagreements appropriately.   Sophie simply read from the little half-sheet she'd been handed, "I understand how you feel, but I disagree."  It did not get ugly.  I told Sophia I was very proud of how she had handled the situation, and we discussed why we, as Christians, believe homosexuality is wrong.   

Like Jesus, it is not our plan to remove our children from culture ... but rather to train them to live out their faith in the culture.  And they are learning as we send them, step by step, into the world.