A Thanksgiving Prayer and Encouragement

We’ve asked our friend, Tennessee homeschool pioneer Claiborne Thornton, if we could share his timely reminder with Indiana homeschool families. The battle we face today of teaching our children without government involvement is a continuation of the same ones the pioneers faced. Be encouraged.

Freedom is still freedom.  To live as free people still requires that we live as people of conviction.  Conviction is as critical today as it was 30 years ago.

Either I will draw my conviction to home school from walking in obedience to Almighty God and His word, or I will listen to the fears and forces of my day from government or from general society and give away my rights as a parent.  Please do not be fearfully foolish.

Perhaps without a struggle, I’ll squander the most valuable treasure that it is possible for a father and mother to hold saying the training of this child is of “no value” or “this is too hard”.

Thirty plus years ago, we resisted jail and our children being taken away with truancy and child abuse and neglect charges.  Today home schooling is accepted, so we face the crushing embrace of a monster that would extract our money and commit our children to pay future debts all so that we could be subsidized to give our children away assigning their futures to the death spiral of our present, largely godless society.

But there is hope trusting in the King.

Thirty years ago that meant a willingness to say, “God called us to home school; I have been assigned by God as a father to train the children He has entrusted to me” following Deuteronomy 6.

Today the fears are different, but maybe not by much from 30 years ago.

“Can I really teach my children to *(you fill in the blank)*?”

“Will my children be properly socialized?”

“Where can I find a specialist to help me teach *(you fill in the blank)*?”

“Can my children get into college, or the ‘right’ college?”

“Where will my children be able to work?”

Then the answer was “send your child to school”, that is the easy way.  Today the answer is “send your child to school or put them in front of a state-controlled computer”, that is the easy way.  (Their marketing plan is not changed much.  “Take the broad and easy path”. Wait, that sounds familiar.)

Today, the God of all peace and comfort calls us all to a conviction to follow Him.  He has provided everything for truth and righteousness, for joy and for peace.  His word tells us how we should proceed.

Can you delegate some authority to teach your child as father to someone else?  Yes, of course, but you cannot remove your responsibility before God from you for the training your child receives.

Your family has clear instructions from Him on raising the children entrusted to you by Him.  Will He give you such a treasure and not with that gift, provide clear instructions to accomplish the challenging responsibility of training that child? Our God is not like that.

“My children are different from me.  I don’t know how to relate to them.”  Yes, of course.  God has made each child in your family unique.  He knit them together as special, fantastic arrows to be launched into the future to accomplish His will.  You have the huge responsibility and joy of calling out to Him to learn how to unwrap the package He has entrusted to you.

Joyfully go to your King seeking the wisdom necessary to see what is before you and trust Him to guide you.  He will teach you.  Seek counsel from people of wisdom in your life.  Walk in the conviction He gives you.  My God has given me this child to teach me better how to trust Him.  He wants me closer to Him so that I can know how to train this child in the way he should go.  

On this Thanksgiving Day Almighty God would have us celebrate the freedoms we have enjoyed and worked to secure for home education beginning some 35 or more years ago.  Righteous, Holy, God of all truth, we enjoy being close enough to You to see what You call us to do and with eternal gratefulness we joyfully praise your Holy Name for the many years of comfort and guidance we have found from your Holy Spirit and from Your unchangeable truth entrusted to us in your word, the Bible.

Our enemies of years ago used threats to draw us into the “cookie cutter” to shape our children after their fashion.  Today our enemy uses “a mess of porridge” and praise to draw us into their “cookie cutter”.

Father, Almighty God, give us wisdom to see the whip and to see the porridge and to then turn to You, our King and the source of our life and guidance.  Let us be wholly discontent with any path other than following You.

In following You Lord we implore that you send your Holy Spirit in our homes bringing wisdom and peace with comfort.  May our minds be transformed and refreshed as we look in Your word of unchangeable truth and see clearly the path or at least the next step we are to take.  Let us walk in full faith trusting only in You, finding in You and Your very real felt presence the joy and peace that You promise.

You entrusted an eternal soul to our family to train.  Your word is clear.  You have given us “everything for life and for godliness” II Peter 1.

Lord we know that to please You means that we walk with You in faith.

Therefore on this Thanksgiving day November 24th 2016 we choose to set aside the distractions and divisions caused to be displayed during this recent Presidential election with the competing godless worldviews expressed by each campaigner and we choose to look to You our Lord and the King of kings. We choose to trust You this Thanksgiving day.  We choose to look to You for truth.  We find in You our only hope to deal with the clearly manifest wickedness and disruptions in our society.  In a society with many “demanding their rights”, teach us to see the rich provision You have freely given to all who love You freely.

Further Lord God, please give us eyes to see that those who surround us that love You are greater and more powerful than any competitor for Your throne and power.  You are our strength and hiding place.  In Your real felt presence is our peace, grace, and joy.  May our homes be a refuge, an outpost of heaven on earth, filled with truth.  Lord let us be people of conviction carefully following You and filled with joy.  In this day as in every other day there is no path other than to walk with You. Let this be our settled conviction.  Joshua said it best, “As for me and my house, we will follow the Lord.”

Lord, please let there be enough “outposts of kingdom on earth” in our homes that the far corners and the heart of our society and this world will be penetrated by arrows of Your truth and may many come to know You, have eternal life, and walk in Your truth.

Seeking our heavenly Father’s glory,

Claiborne Thornton
Tennessee

PS: Speaking of contentment –

“The green grass is on my side of the fence.”  –  Charles Jones, not Tremendous

Mr. Thornton was elected President of the Tennessee Home Education Association at the first meeting of the organization in 1984 and has served in that capacity since then. Homeschooling has changed from being marginally legal to being fully legal but significantly restricted, to now being a mainstream option in education with home schoolers being sought after students for colleges and positions of responsibility in business and industry.