by Rebecca Kocsis

There is no virus, no vaccine, and no government mandate that is powerful enough to thwart God’s plans. 

Let me say that again. There is no virus, no vaccine, and no government mandate that is powerful enough to thwart God’s plans for you, for your family, or for your children.

God “controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings.…”(from Daniel 2:21 NLT) This is just as true today as it was in the days of Daniel the prophet. It may appear that the world has gone crazy. Reason seems to have been abandoned. Basic fundamental rights are no longer respected. There was a time that parents could feel reasonably secure in their right to direct the education and upbringing of their children. But now parents’ rights are being challenged like never before. If not for the knowledge that God is sovereign still, I would despair. He can, in the most distressing of circumstances, still strategically accomplish His good purposes for His people.

For many years as a group leader, pre-Covid-19, families came to us for help homeschooling. Some because they always knew they would homeschool. Others came to the conclusion that homeschooling was the best option for their child only after being in a traditional educational setting. There were a myriad of reasons: illness, learning differences, negative peer pressure, safety issues. Whatever the reason, I always encouraged parents that God was in control; that He used those circumstances to guide their family into His will. It wasn’t their first choice, but it became apparent that it had become the best choice.

I can’t tell you how many parents were worried. They didn’t want to shortchange their child of a good education. They were worried they would choose the wrong curriculum; worried because they weren’t credentialed teachers; worried they couldn’t afford it. Can I really teach my child to read? What about high school? Can my child go to college? They were afraid they would wreck their kids. Happily, they discovered their worries were needless and the benefits of homeschooling far outweighed their fears.

Now with the pandemic, most recently with the announcement of the coming Covid-19 vaccine mandate for school children, there is a new wave of parents choosing homeschooling. They aren’t “anti-vaxers.” They aren’t domestic terrorists. They are conscientious parents who believe these vaccines are too new to be given to their children. It’s simply too soon. That doesn’t sound unreasonable.

And they, too, are worried. They have the very same concerns as parents who took their children out of traditional school in the 90s and 2000s. We continue to tell parents that, yes, they can give their children a wonderful education. Yes, they can teach, and teach well, without a credential. Yes, their children can graduate high school and go to college. Don’t worry about finding the perfect curriculum, and they’re not going to wreck their kids. In fact, they will enjoy many wonderful benefits from homeschooling: family unity, the ability to freely impart their faith, children being allowed to learn at their own pace.

I continue to remind parents today that God is still in control. He’s using external circumstances to guide their family into His will. Homeschooling may not have been their first choice, but it appears it is God’s choice right now. These are trying times. The pandemic has been difficult for families. Lives have been disrupted. Many have suffered. Yet, through it all—in spite of it all—God is able to reveal His will and strategically work out His good purposes for His people. How can He do that? That’s the mystery of sovereignty. 

There is no virus, no vaccine, and no mandate powerful enough to thwart God’s plans for His people. The same goes for you, Mom and Dad. You’re not going to wreck your kids. If God has guided you to homeschool, rest in the knowledge that He is strategically working out His will for your children. You and your children will reap the blessings of obedience. He will faithfully guide you. He promises that He will never leave you, and that those who trust in Him will never be ashamed.  

“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in all the earth.” Psalm 46:1