Random musings of a homeschooler
I've mentioned the FPEA (Florida Parent-Educators Association) homeschool convention before, and, as some of you already know, it happened this past Friday and Saturday (the 26th and 27th). Despite coming down with a really bad/sore throat over the course of it, and thus missing the Saturday morning/early afternoon stuff...it was still pretty good (weak wording there!). Though sadly, I didn't make any new friends, it was still enjoyable...some of the lectures/seminars were very good (more weak wording) and some were just mediocre. Both days I had a chance to wander around the very LARGE Exhibit Hall and that was probably my favorite part. I used well my new-found freedom to buy books again and ending up buying five new ones, of which I’ve already read two of them. There were SOOOOOO many more books that I wanted to buy, so the fact that I “only” bought five was, for me, showing much constraint! I ended up getting two Vision Forum CDs, “The Spotless Bride” and “6,000 Years of Earth History in One Hour”, but the latter one was free. And though this is starting to sound like a little kid’s recitation of what he got for Christmas, I have to tell you about the last thing I bought…a Nalgene water bottle with “Caution: Unsocialized Homeschooler” written on it…oh yes, people should definitely be cautioned about those!
Though I never got up the courage to say "Hello" to her (though it may shock some of you, I'm quite shy at times, especially when I'm afraid of intruding!), on Saturday I saw a woman who's blog I enjoy. Amy Scott of Amy's Humble Musings was at the convention, and I recognized her from her blog picture. It was weird...almost like I saw a celebrity or something!
Considering there were around 12,000 people at this convention, there was ample opportunity for people-watching...a favorite past-time of mine. And from my observances, I came to the conclusion that there are several things that you see a much higher percentage of at homeschool conventions than in the rest of society. Other than the obvious…homeschoolers and kids (shocker there!)…you also are bound to see more long skirts, pregnant women (most of whom are older than the culturally accepted norm of pregnant women…and good on them for that!), girls/women with REALLY long hair (I saw one girl who’s hair was down to her knees!) and fifteen-passenger vans. Don’t get me wrong, the majority of people there looked pretty much like the average American, but there was a percentage (of whom I was probably one) who “looked like homeschoolers”…and good for them! Like I was musing about yesterday as we drove back from the convention…I think that Christians should look different from the rest of the world. Yes, they should first of all act differently as Christians, but why should it stop with actions? Back home, there are a LOT of Mormons, and many times, especially if they are “on their mission”, you can tell they are Mormons just by looking at them…but could you say that of Christians? Not usually. I can just hear people starting to say things like, “Well, aren’t we supposed to be all things to all people [1 Cor. 9:19-23]? We need to look like the rest of the world in order to minister to them.” I disagree (surprise, surprise!). Yes, you are to “…become all things to all men, that by all means [you] might save some.” (1 Cor. 9:22cd), but that doesn’t mean that you become the same as them. If an unsaved person saw you, a Christian, but you seemed/looked the same as they did, how would they know you're a Christian, "His own special" person (1 Peter 2:9, NKJV)? If you’re different, people might wonder why, and you can tell them it’s because of Jesus…but if you’re not any different than they, what is there to ask about? Yes, I realize that clothes are just an external thing and not as important as some other issues...but, like it or not, the way you dress DOES say something about you. Many times people bring up the last part of the verse from 1 Samuel 16:7, "...For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, the LORD looks at the heart" and say that the Lord only looks at the heart so they can dress/look however they want to. Yes, the Lord DOES look at the heart, but what else does the verse say? "...that man looks at the outward appearance..." Man looks at the outward appearance because that's all they have to go on...they can't see the heart like the Lord can. Okay…hopefully some of that is coherent…remember that these are the ramblings of someone with a bad head cold (though it's mostly in my throat...a neck cold then?!)…but hopefully they’re still understandable. Please ask if any of the above paragraph is unclear and you need clarification…and do you agree with what I was saying? I’d love to know!
Even though I very much enjoyed the convention, I have to admit that, near then end, I was starting to grow discontent. While I wandered the exhibit hall, I would see various people who looked to me to be “like-minded“…the girls wore long skirt/dresses…if the people were vendors, their materials put forth similar beliefs to those I hold, and…I was jealous. I’ve since repented of it and the Lord has forgiven me, but it brought up some interesting thoughts. I was jealous especially of some of the vendors…to have the life of living with/being around like-minded people so much…to be one of “them”. Though it’s embarrassing to admit, I lingered around some of the tables, almost longing to be noticed, somehow taken into the inner circle of these conservative, Christian homeschoolers (wow…I sound like such a shallow idiot! This is keeping me humble…). I long to be with like-minded people…those who wouldn’t see some of the things I believe and practice as being weird because they believe and practice the same things. So many times I feel like such a loner…because I am. Granted, having to live out my beliefs by myself has, I’m sure, strengthened them…but sometimes it would be nice not to be the only girl wearing a long skirt. But, I lived and am living the life the Lord planned for me and He is sovereign. His plan for my life was and is and will be perfect, good and right. Oh Lord, let me never forget that!
On another subject, one of the speakers at the convention was Chris Klicka, a senior councilman with the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) . Beyond that, before his seminar, I didn’t really know much about Mr. Klicka…but now I know he is an amazing, amazing man. During one of his talks, he brought tears to my eyes quite a few times. Mr. Klicka has multiple sclerosis and as he termed, he is slowly dying, one body part at a time. It’s horrible…but like he said, with a voice that began to break, “Praise God for MS!”...because the Lord is working through it. Hearing Mr. Klicka speak strengthened so much my belief that suffering, if we let it, can only draw us closer to Jesus and make us more like Him. I was talking with my mom about this all this afternoon and she said something along the lines of "He was tried and now he's gold", making reference to Job 23:10, "But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold." That is so evident when Mr. Klicka talked about his relationship with Jesus…his voice broke many times as he said “His grace is sufficient” and shared various experiences. One that stood out to me was something he said when he related a time when he was going to talk to some prison inmates. He told them that he was in a prison too, the prison of his body...(and here his voice broke again)...but he’s getting out one day. And what a glorious day that will be for him! I wholeheartedly echo what was said in the Chancey Blog about this amazing man...Mr. Klicka just finished a book about "the heroes of the homeschool movement. I hope he reserves a chapter for himself..."
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ..." ~1 Peter 1:6-7