History is Discipleship

History is Discipleship

“I guess that’s one of the good things that is coming out of what happened.”

 These were the words of my ten year old son on the morning of Saturday, September 13, 2025, as I read him a few of the many social media posts from people who had decided to go to church for the first time in their lives in the wake of the news of several tragic deaths, including the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

He didn’t come up with that response out of the blue; the journey that led to this comment began four years ago. But more on that in a minute.

This comment caused me to reflect back to the days when my oldest children (who are now grown) would come home from traditional school with a list of definitions and fill-in-the-blank answers to study for their history test. I remembered the boring factual textbook blurbs from my own education--and then I remembered the change in understanding we all gained when we started homeschooling.

Today, sixteen years later, as I am beginning the chronological history cycle for the fourth time as a homeschooling mom, the advantages and the marks of discipleship are clear.

History gives children the gift of perspective.

When tragic events happen, it is easy for adults to forget the lack of life experience that our children have in their toolbox to put the events in perspective. Let me start with a lighter example from my childhood.

I grew up in Pittsburgh in the early 70’s. During my early elementary years, the Super Bowl was an annual holiday just like Thanksgiving. We would have black and gold day at school, and the Steelers would win. It was family tradition. It was all happy endings, and I had no reason to believe that would not continue year after year. Then, as I got older, the happy endings suddenly stopped. On top of the regular awkwardness of middle school, I now lived in a world where the Steelers were losers and laughing stocks. It was a very strange transition.

However, when I had children of my own, the championship years resumed, and I was able to share those traditions with my kids. My very competitive daughter took it all in. Then one day, we lost the Super Bowl to Green Bay. I watched her sob uncontrollably as another winning era began to die. As an adult who had now lived through a few decades of victory and defeat, I knew the world was not ending. She did not have this perspective in her toolbox.

When events much more deserving of sorrow happen in our lives, the years of experience that we have to pull from greatly affect how easily we can process what has happened. We can’t give our children a back-log of experience to draw from, but we can give them the next best thing: a thorough knowledge and understanding of history.

History shows us the sovereignty of God.

One of the reasons I felt confident sharing very limited, age-appropriate information with my son about the events of the past week was that I knew the bank of history that he would be able to pull from.

Four years ago, our studies showed us how God used the rise and fall of ancient nations to prepare the world for its Savior. We saw Him pave the way for the gospel to spread with Roman Roads and a common Greek language, and we watched the church grow exponentially through persecution.The following year, we witnessed the bitter and bloody religious struggles in Europe that eventually gave birth to our nation and the religious freedom that we enjoy today. Then we watched that same nation hold together through the ripping seams of a Civil War that freed four million slaves. 

Along the way we read stories and biographies that showed us how courageous people overcame difficult times or made a great impact in the world through their faith.

All of this was nothing compared to the final year, when we studied the twentieth century to the present day: a sinking ship, a stock market crash, two world wars, fascists and dictators, the civil rights movement, and Vietnam were among our conversations. However, these studies also included missionaries like Jim Elliott, brave soldiers, a great revival, men walking on the moon, and the Jesus movement.

One of the final events we studied was the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. We studied the basics without too many dramatic details. 

But then I told him about watching the members of the U.S. Congress standing together to sing “God Bless America.” We listened to Billy Graham address the nation, and I told him about all of the people who turned to the Lord in the wake of the sorrow (We had read a biography on Graham together, so this in itself landed with some perspective). 

It was at this point where my heart was heavy, because I knew I needed to use this moment to talk about the history that hasn’t yet been made. I told him that the Bible assures us that we WILL see trouble, and that Jesus has overcome that trouble. (John 16:33) I told him that he will most likely see more tragic events happen in the future, and that we have no idea what those things will be; but I also told him that he has no reason to fear those things.  

I then recapped key points in the four years of history that we had studied, and reminded him that we could always see the sovereignty of God. We could always find good things that resulted from bad events, and I told him that he should always intentionally look for those things.

History helps us to see the big picture.

This was the foundation on which the news of the past week would land. Let me be clear: I did not give a dramatic account of any death. There is no need to do that to a young child. However, I did tell him the basic events of the week, as I knew he would hear about it in his tutorial the next day and in church on Sunday. I reminded him of Romans 8:28: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

I also reminded him that up close, when everyone is talking about an event, it can feel overwhelming; but that this is just because no one is talking about the millions of everyday people who got up that day and ate breakfast and had a normal day. He nodded on understanding, and I could tell that he was processing what I wanted him to understand.

My husband, who has spent most of his areer in law enforcement, is good at reminding us that when 80% of your time is spent focusing on a small percentage of people who are criminals, it’s easy to feel like the whole world is falling apart. It’s also easy to lower your bar of morality. He likes to remind us that you have to zoom out and see that these things are a small part of a much larger world full of good things. 

My job was to deliver this news in its proper place within the big picture.

Homeschooling is a precious gift.

This brings us to our Saturday morning conversation, reading through countless posts of lost souls who had decided to give church a try. Some had never been into a church in their life, wondering if they could “just walk in” or if they had to call ahead. We were able to draw a parallel to the Jesus movement of the sixties, when so many young people were looking for answers.

The tears were welling up in my eyes for so many reasons that morning. Tears of sorrow for families of victims. Tears of prayer for the seekers. Tears of appreciation for the understanding and maturity I was witnessing in my youngest child. Finally, tears of gratitude for what homeschooling has given my family. It has strengthened our relationships, and it has strengthened my own education. It has allowed me to have great influence in the discipleship of my children, even as a full-time working mom through most of this journey.

My first two children are well into adulthood now, and I am painfully aware of how fast this opportunity disappears. As I walk out these last years with my last child, I can say with more certainty than ever before that homeschooling is a precious gift that you should seek out like gold. 

It’s worth a shift change to make the schedule fit. It’s worth reaching out to a few high school homeschoolers for child care. It’s worth a slower career track to allow more focus at home. It CAN be done, and it may not be easy, but it is so worth the effort. 

Dear parent, do everything you can to seize this time with your kids.