By author Shari McMinn

One of the strongest pro-life examples I witness in our society these days is when I see a loving, dutiful parent out-and-about in public with a child who is severely physically and/or mentally disabled. I have encountered such amazing families in the grocery store, the doctor’s office, the zoo, and even at the Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference. Praise the Lord! As I silently pray for them, I observe the selfless love the parent expresses toward their child. The child might be difficult to manage, but seems to understand the grace shown to him or her. In the town where I used to live, I would often see a mom who had an adult son that was a “flapper” and a “shouter.” She would lovingly escort him through the grocery aisles, carefully guiding him as she made her selections. One time, I introduced myself to her and extended a warm greeting. She looked relieved, like someone actually noticed them, appreciated her, and recognized that her son’s life had value. I later learned her husband was abusive and left them, not being able to cope with their situation. Yet, she trusts the Lord has a plan for her and her son.

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By Shari McMinn

Who is more nervous about high school, you or your student?

Whether you are continuing with homeschooling your unique learner through the high school years, or are just starting with home education now during high school, there are struggles and challenges that will arise. Not only are core subjects often harder to learn and more complex to teach, but your student is changing physically, emotionally, and spiritually to become an adult. And then there is the typical parent/teen dynamic, which all families have to deal with. It can be intimidating to think about, but God has called you to homeschool your son or daughter for His purpose. Seek His leading, wisdom, and comfort for the good work He is doing in your family. 

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By Shari McMinn

I recently heard a biblically-based message on the fall into sin of Adam and Eve. It was no accident or Plan B, in which God had to figure out what to do next. God had it planned from the beginning of His creation of the universe so He could pour out His forgiveness and love on them, and us much later in time. By God allowing the death of animals to clothe them in their nakedness, He showed Adam and Eve mercy even before their repentance. God allows sin in this world, so we can press into Him as He shows us mercy and we seek His forgiveness and the redeeming of our souls. This applies to our children, too, and what we model for them in our response to their sin.

We are sinners, raising sinners. It is only through sin that we can know the love of God. If we didn’t sin, if our children didn’t sin, we could not understand the breadth, depth, height, and length of His unconditional love for us (Ephesians 3:17-19). 

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By Shari McMinn

When your child struggles with one or more homeschool subjects for years, how and when do you decide to accept things as is or continue to push through toward progress? Perhaps your struggling learner “hates math” or “can’t read.” Even highly gifted students can be stuck in their struggles with time management or verbal communication. So what’s a homeschool parent to do? Because, when we are stuck and not progressing, we suffer — both parent and child!

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:3-5).

The Scripture passage above describes how the Holy Spirit uses our suffering to produce endurance, character, and hope. (Even if we are not rejoicing about it, right?) Did you consider that this also applies to our students who are miserable while they endure their schoolwork? God intends it to also be a means to build their character and develop hope for their future. It is not just a trial for us as homeschool teachers, but also for our students.

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