I love clocks. If you were to visit my home, you'd see all sorts of clocks in almost every room of the house. Some of these clocks chime, others ding, some play music, others have a swinging pendulum, while still others display the barometric pressure and humidity levels. The latest addition to my clock menagerie is a cuckoo clock, something I've wanted for quite some time.
Now cuckoo clocks defy modernity. This one is many years old and doesn't need batteries or electricity. Imagine that! It runs on the principle of two weights attached to a chain that allow the clock to keep time and make its cuckoo sound on the hour and half hour so long as you keep the chains pulled. One pull on each chain should be able to last for days.
This vintage clock was an auction item I won at the local Community Pregnancy Center fundraising dinner. It had been donated by one CPC supporter. So, when we had some difficulty in making it operate correctly, we didn't have the benefit of a store to call for assistance in setting it up. Through trial and error, it eventually worked, but not before I was sure I have permanently ruined it six or seven times!
The lesson here: this clock was so well made that despite my ineptitude and impatience, it works as its designer intended. A corollary lesson for homeschooling parents: your children are so well made that, despite your initial ineptitude and impatience, they can thrive and learn in the homeschooling environment, even if you are a novice rookie.
Many homeschooling parents feel that they might damage their children irrevocably or mar them in such a way that their futures will be forever compromised. Some even keep them in a public school setting for fear of "doing damage." However, viewed from a biblical perspective, just the opposite is the case. Keeping them in an environment where the holy fear of the Lord is not the basis and emphasis of all subjects taught, is among the most deceitful and harmful of situations thrust upon children.
Like the craftsman who produced my prize cuckoo clock, the Creator, Designer, Sustainer, and Redeemer of your children constructed His creatures (your children among them) with the capacity to withstand the bumps and mishaps from operator error!
- Andrea G. Schwartz
Andrea Schwartz is Chalcedon’s family and Christian education advocate, and the author of eight books including: A House for God: Building a Kingdom-Driven Family, The Biblical Trustee Family: Understanding God’s Purpose for Your Household, Empowered: Developing Strong Women for Kingdom Service, Woman of the House: A Mother’s Role in Building a Christian Culture, and The Homeschool Life: Discovering God’s Way to Family-Based Education. She’s also the co-host of the Out of the Question podcast, the Chalcedon podcast, and has an active teaching schedule with women and high schooled students.. She can be reached at [email protected].