Hebrews 12:1-3 – "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith…Consider Him Who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Have you ever been blind-sided? Have you ever seen someone else blind-sided? You know…a person is just driving along and, BAM! Someone runs the red light and crashes right into the side of their car. Or a person is in the stands watching a baseball game and enjoying the excitement, and the cheers when, BAM! A foul ball lands right in their lap full of nachos and cheese. Disasters, every one.

Recent national news stories have blind-sided the homeschool community in much that same way. We had already been labeled everything from educational idiots to educational elitists and everything in-between. Now, it seems someone is trying to label us as dangerous. It's so hard not to stand up and SCREAM!

We've all dealt with various doubts and accusations from "concerned" friends and family…and even a stranger or two. But how do we stand up to the Goliath of the national news media with an apparent ax to grind? One way has been done quite successfully, it seems, since the biased news stories aired. Due to so many complaints, at least one sponsor (as of this writing) has dropped out of the add line-up. There's one victory! Now…how do we persevere from here?

Try this: Look around you at the homeschoolers you know. We all constitute an earthly "cloud of witnesses" and encouragement to endure! We're not all the same…our families live in different areas, we are different colors, we are large in number, we are small in number. But we all have the same goal: to "run with perseverance the race marked out for us." So…"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith." What encouragement!

When it all comes down to what matters regarding our homeschools, what matters is the vindication that we will receive from Christ. What matters is that our children will carry forth God's Good News to a dying world. What matters is that when this world and the bad news we hear on a nightly basis gets to be overwhelming, we can stop and "consider Him Who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Jesus knows this kind of slander all too well. This kind of thing is nothing new to Him. I once heard a pastor say that "If the devil isn't bothering you, he must have you right where he wants you." I don't think any of us want to be there, but someone is always looking for ways to discredit the good. Even if they have to search high and low to do it.

It's so easy to get mad and spout off about this, but we need to come together in a concert of prayer for our rights, our safety and for the protection of the Lord over our homes. And while we're at it we need to remember Whom we represent…we are ambassadors of Christ. We are training our children to be ambassadors and carry the light of Christ into the next generation and into the world they will influence as adults.

We are not responsible for what people think of us, but we are responsible to be obedient to Christ and His call. Christ is all the vindication we need.