Princesses in Disguise

This is the speech I gave at my graduation on Saturday.  As I mentioned then, I feel incredibly blessed t0 have been homeschooled and will be forever grateful to the Lord and my parents for all they have taught me.  To God be the glory!

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I will be forever grateful to the Lord for leading my parents to homeschool their children.  Although being the firstborn child meant I was the so-called guinea pig of their homeschooling experiments, I wouldn’t trade the last eighteen years of being a student at the Hills Homeschool for anything.  Since I don’t have enough time to cover all the facets I appreciate about my homeschool experience, I would like to touch on just a few of the reasons I praise the Lord for my homeschool education.

Growing up, whenever my parents talked about their decision to homeschool their children, they would mention a verse which the Lord often placed on their hearts–Isaiah 54:13, which says, “And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.”  Since the beginning, my parents have ultimately trusted the Lord for the education of their children, knowing that He was the true Teacher, and they just the earthly guardians guiding us to learn from Him.  However, it wasn’t until recently that I began to truly understand the meaning of this verse and claim it in my own life. Over the years, there were several times when I would compare my education to others’ and become disappointed with what my parents were or were not teaching me.  I now realize that in each of those instances, I had trusted my human parents to fulfill a need that only God can fulfill.  When I change my perspective and think about all that the Lord has taught me, I experience the great peace described in Isaiah 54:13.

As many of you know, the last two and a half months have held some of the most difficult days my family has ever experienced.  During this time of my grandmother being ill and our lives being centered on caring for her, I have been grateful for the flexibility homeschooling has provided our family.  While on the outside, it looks as if we didn’t do any school at all, the true Teacher was hard at work.  It is true that we haven’t gotten much bookwork done, but I believe the spiritual and practical lessons we have learned are more valuable.  For it is on these most difficult days that I feel closest to my family and, most importantly, my God.

Spending practically twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week with my siblings, my classmates, has made us best friends.  These nine people have been my closest companions, confidants, comedians, and cheerleaders, and I am grateful to the Lord for each one of them.  I firmly believe that God thoughtfully placed each member of my family in my life in order to make me more like Him.  From Dad I’ve learned that thoroughness now saves time later.  From Mom I’ve learned that God’s plans are more important than my own.  From Stephanie I’ve learned that being spontaneous can be a lot of fun.  From Allison I’ve learned that there’s always another way to do something.  From Stevie I’ve learned that it’s usually better to laugh.  From Carolyn I’ve learned that serving brings more joy than being served does.  From Kelly I’ve learned that stopping to smell the roses is a good thing.  From Tommy I’ve learned that it pays to pay attention and ask questions.  From Matthew I’ve learned that even the most mundane tasks can be enjoyable.  From Mark I’ve learned that God hears my prayers no matter how trivial they may seem.  From Charity I’ve learned that a hug makes everything better.

There are so many memories from my homeschool days that I will treasure forever.  A few are: reading Wisdom Books together at the dining room table, cooking and sewing lessons with Mom, numerous field trips to places like the post office, the police station, the grocery store, and Daddy’s office; Girl Scout activities, camping trips, road trips to Tennessee for homeschool conferences, days at the park, working on craft projects for the Youth Fair, volunteer hours at the hospital, and countless hours spent reading, writing, and discussing.  As I think back on those years, I realize that most of my learning happened not when I was studying, but when I was doing.

While being a homeschool student, I learned the importance of honoring my parents and submitting to their authority.  Spending so much time together strengthened our relationship, and I am thankful for that.  As my senior year approached and I began to get questions about my future plans, I turned to the Lord and my parents for guidance.  My father expressed his particular desire for me to pursue a college degree.  While at first this idea was not exactly my preference, it was almost second nature for me to follow his leading and the Lord’s through him.  A few years ago, at the annual ATI homeschool conference, our family heard about Verity Institute.  Their accelerated, distance-learning program focuses primarily on the student’s spiritual growth while also equipping him or her to receive a Bachelor’s degree in approximately twenty-one months.  My family immediately liked the proposal of me becoming a Verity student, and I began as a dual-enrolled student in January.  This fall, Lord-willing, I will begin full-time studies from home with Verity.  I am looking forward to fulfilling my father’s wishes while still living at home, building my relationship with my family and the Lord.

As for what happens after I, Lord-willing, receive my college degree in two years, I’m not quite sure.  I have dreams and goals in mind, but my ultimate desire is to seek first God’s Kingdom, His authority, in my life.  His word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path, and I fully trust Him to open doors of ministry to fulfill the purpose He has for my life.

Henry Ford once said that anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty.  The homeschooling lifestyle has instilled in me a desire for lifelong learning.  Since I know that the Lord is my true Teacher, I know that as long as I live, my education will never be over.  I look at this high school graduation as simply the closure of one season of learning and the opening of another.