The Book that Goes on Top

As the school year is about to begin, many homeschooling moms are busily planning and preparing for the coming school year. There is so much out there to analyze, assess and choose. We put a lot of time and effort into making careful selections of curriculum because we all want to make sure that our children have everything they need to help them get the best education possible. The following illustration really struck home with me and reminded me of something very important when it comes to the education of my children…

My husband is a preacher and has several preacher buddies that he enjoys spending time with. One in particular had a very interesting habit that my husband liked to tease him about. In this preacher’s office, he would have several books on his desk in a nice, neat stack which he would use in his daily studies. The book on top, however, was always the same – it was his Bible. He was adamant about it being on top of the stack and never buried below the other books, however helpful and good they may be. My husband would go in his office and mess with him by moving a couple of the other books from the stack to the top to see how long it would take his friend to notice. Not long at all! He would shake his head and pull his Bible out to put it back on the top of the stack where it belonged.

Where does the Bible fit in to our homeschooling? Is it a top priority that we are diligent in pursuing every day? Or does it find its way to the bottom of the stack because other studies take precedence? These can be painful questions to answer as, in my own experience, I would sometimes find that the Bible was not the “book on top” as it should have been. I wanted it to be; I intended it to be, but it wasn’t. And that was and is something that must be remedied. In the midst of securing the best education we can for our children, let’s not ever relegate the Bible to the “bottom of the stack.” Our children’s spiritual education is the most important they will ever receive as its consequences are eternal.

As you make preparations for the coming school year, take the time to prepare, plan, and pray for your child’s spiritual education. Reading, writing and arithmetic are definitely important – just don’t forget the Book that goes on top!“You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”    ~Deuteronomy 6:7