Have you ever had to reset your computer or your smartphone back to factory settings? If you have, you know that it involves completely wiping your device of all information. It forgets all of the little quirky settings you spent hours programming to get it just the way you like it, the fact that you like the bell ring for incoming calls (except when it's your sister, and then it's that song that reminds you of her), the fact that you want it to alert you when you have a text message, but not for emails or Facebook alerts. It forgets every app that you've installed, every song that you've downloaded and every picture you've taken.
It forgets everything.
Months, maybe years, of adjusting, perfecting and tweaking are completely gone.
As if they never happened.
The slate is wiped clean... and you begin anew.
It is certainly inconvenient, to say the least. But it is necessary in order to restore function to something that is... well, broken.
And that is exactly what needs to happen with us.
This country, each family, each individual, you and I-- WE NEED TO BE RESET TO FACTORY SETTINGS!
We have been overloaded with massive amounts of misinformation. We have been misused, ill-trained, and pushed to the brink. And the result? We are short-circuiting! We, human beings, were not made to function in the way that this world has decided we ought to function, and we simply cannot take it anymore. We are breaking down.
We were not made to be "tolerant" of unholy behavior, and yet this is what we are taught in school. We certainly must not treat others, no matter their behavior, with hatred or spite, but it is okay, in fact it is right to say that marriage is between a man and a woman, and only between a man and a woman. And yet, our programming has been violated by a society and a school system that teaches that it is not only acceptable, but worthy of celebration, to have two mommies or two daddies. (1 Corinthians 6:9)
We were not made to take life, and yet not only is abortion legally condoned and protected in this country, it is celebrated by many as a well-deserved milestone in the fight for women's "rights". (Romans 1:29, Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 139:13-16)
We were not made to serve ourselves, and yet we live in a culture in which the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" has taken such precedence that career grooming begins practically in kindergarten now. What if instead of placing children on a predetermined path for college and self-aggrandizing careerism, we sat them down and taught them that they in fact CANNOT be whatever they want when they grow up but absolutely CAN and SHOULD be everything God has called them to be, which might mean college for some and not for others? What if instead of career days at school, they had spiritual gifting days to determine how exactly God has gifted them and how they can best use those gifts to glorify Jesus and bless others? And what if glorifying Jesus and blessing others WAS the desired end, rather than a paycheck and a house with a white picket fence? (Isaiah 43:7, 1 Corinthians 10:31)
There are so many things that we simply were not programmed to do. And yet, there is hardly a single thing left within our programming that is still operating within suitable "factory parameters", if you will. No, we are not machines. And yes, we do have individualities and uniquenesses about us that are to be celebrated and harnessed. But above all, we were made to glorify God! End of story. And if we are not doing that in everything that we do, then we are no longer functioning properly, and we must be reset.
How do we do that? For ourselves- we need to come back to God's word, plain and simple. It is our instruction manual. It is all that we need in order to restore our hearts to their proper working condition.
And for our children? I hardly have to say it at this point, but honestly, they cannot and WILL NOT receive the biblical teaching, training and discipline in a public school that they so desperately need. Can you undo the damage each day and instill these values in the few hours a day you see them between school and bedtime (less if they are gone three nights a week for dance, soccer, tennis, etc.)? Yes, possibly. But is it worth the extra effort that it will take to not only teach them the things you do want them to know, but to also have to counteract the innumerable lies they will face on a daily basis while they are out of your care? Is homeschooling the "right" way or the only way? No, I can't make that kind of claim. But is it the best way? You'll have to answer that for yourself.
I believe that Scripture has given parents a mandate to personally teach and train their children, to raise them up in the admonition of the Lord (Proverbs 22:6, Deuteronomy 6:7, 2 Timothy 3:14,15). How we each do that is between us and the Lord. But however we choose to follow that command, we must take it ever so seriously.
Many of us are already broken and in need of serious repair. Our children, if they are not already showing signs of wear and tear, will soon be in the same mess as the rest of us if we do not take them back and stake a claim on their lives, a claim that says...
"But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD!" Joshua 24:15
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