The Man in the Mirror

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. —2 Cor. 3:18 (NKJV)

There is no secret formula to homeschooling success. It would be nice if there were. One reason for this is that God will have no other gods before Him, not even His own principles. This is why we are to seek God above all else. Yes, we read books. Yes, we listen to podcasts. Yes, we go to events. These things, however, are not an end in themselves. Instead, they are designed to point us to Jesus.

When we constantly gaze upon Christ through the reading of His Word, prayer, preaching, teaching, and meditation, several things happen. Since Jesus Christ is truth (John 14:6), in looking at Him, He reveals to us what we are really like on the inside. Unlike peoples’ opinion of us or even our own self-awareness, He is a perfect mirror, which precisely reflects our flaws, unbiblical perspectives, and any sinful conduct that has found its residence in our lives. These negative patterns, if not addressed, will prompt us parents to raise our children in a certain way. Raising our children out of our own scars can lead to future difficulties for them, allowing the negative patterns to continue into another generation.

As with any physical imperfections, we can be embarrassed or ashamed when our flaws come to the light. Furthermore, because many folks have been raised with conditional love, they believe these shortcomings affect God’s love to them. The devil wants to blind us to the fact that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) If that is true prior to our conversion, how much more so is it true afterwards? Because of this shame, it is a temptation to minimize or deny His conviction. Without His grace at work in our lives, these areas will impact our perspectives and actions, motivating us to make mountains out of molehills or make real mountains into molehills.

The good news is that God doesn’t leave us in this place of emotional and spiritual vulnerability but rather uses sanctification to lead us to increasing wholeness. Looking to God on a consistent basis supernaturally transforms us into His image by the power of the Holy Spirit. We start to see more like He sees, think more like He thinks, and act more like He would have us act. Rather than expecting our children to satisfy our unmet needs, we give everything over to God, asking Him to make our crooked things straight. (Luke 3:5)

Homeschooling parents want their children to be well adjusted, to see them relate properly to God and others; after all, this is one of the reasons we homeschool them. While this is ultimately the result of God’s grace, we must understand that God uses parents, not exclusively but predominantly, to see that this happens. It is a heavy responsibility, under whose weight, I have felt myself buckle at various seasons in life. I don’t want to pass on any of my “junk” to my kids; therefore, it is incumbent upon me to be changed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Fortunately, God gives us the recipe. We are simply to seek His kingdom and person first, knowing that when we do, we will more clearly see the man in the mirror and thereby be conformed into the likeness of the Son of Man. This is home discipleship at its finest.