Answering a Skeptic

So how many of you have had people ask you questions......like "Are all those kids really your siblings?" or "What are your plans, you know, what's your career going to be?" "Don't you want a boyfriend?"

I have had a LOT of those questions. And sometimes you can really feel cornered. Once I was asked one of these on-the-spot questions while in an orthodontist chair. (Talk about trapped!) As the hygenist pried inside my mouth, I frantically tried to come up with a good answer to her question about if I had a boyfriend, and if I planned on getting a job over the summer.

Today, during my violin lesson, I was asked by my teacher if I planned to go to college, and what I was going to "do". Was I going to do the "home thing" she asked. (The home thing?)

And so, I would like to answer skeptics the world round.

Answers...for Skeptics

Dearest Skeptic,

Yes, all these wonderful kids are indeed my siblings. They are not monsters, aliens, or nuisances. They are great fun, good company, excellent role models, and the furthest thing from awful you could think of. Much to your surprise, I actually enjoy being around them! Oh, did I mention we're adopting another little boy?

You ask about my "plans". I guess I haven't really decided what I'm going to do with my life. I won't be planning that out ahead of time. Not the whole thing, anyway.

Hmm? What was that about being unprepared for real life?

No, I'm not really worried about that. See, I'm not going to plan out my life right now, because God has already done that. Why bother? He's already decided what the plan is, so I'm not going to worry about it. Of course, as He leads, I'll follow, and I know that my life will be patterned after a Biblical model. I would like to get married, I'd like to have children. But only God knows for sure.

Oh, and if you've concluded that I must be one of those weirdos who does the "home thing", you're pretty off base. See, although my focus is definitely on home, and everything that embodies, I've traveled very far from home before. I'm what you'd call an educated person.

Lets see.....I've been to Mexico, California, Florida, North Carolina, Colorado, Nebraska, Arizona, Texas, South Dakota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, and oh, we're about to go to China, too. So, you could say I've been a few places.

Now, if you're wondering about my education, let me set your mind at ease. I am one of the fortunate few that have been homeschooled my entire life. (Gasp!) I've actually learned about little-known (and taught) things, like the Civil War, America's true beginning, who each of our 44 presidents were, and why the Great Depression really happened. I can tell you what Marxism, Socialism, Communism, and inflation is, and how it is affecting our country today. I can tell you what our government does (or what it doesn't) do, and I can tell you what the Civil War was really about. If you're wondering if I'm aware of important people today like Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, Rom Immanuel, and Hillary Clinton, wonder no more.

As for your question about my boring ho-hum life here on our farm, allow me to fill you in a bit. I do a lot of really fun things, really. Examples? Well......in the last few years, my activities have revolved around:

~film making

~music

~website construction
~animal husbandry

~riflery

~budgeting/managing finances

~cooking

~home ec.

~gardening

I'm not normally bored.

So, by now, maybe you're beginning to think I'm actually - normal. Maybe you've decided that homeschoolers aren't so odd after all. Well, before you come to your full conclusion, let me give you one last shocker:

I'm a Christian. Yes, I am! And gladly so! It's only because I'm a Christian that I hold these views. I know that my faith, my goals, my values, and perspectives on life are far from popular. You might be quite offended at them, in fact.

But, with all due respect, I don't care.

Because I am living for something greater than popularity, coolness, or normality. I am living for God. And, if you check your Bible history, those who lived for God weren't always the most popular. And they definitely weren't considered hip or cool.

In fact, to those around them, they might have been considered pretty odd ducks.

But they loved God with all their heart - and that's good enough for me.

Anyway, I hope this has answered all your questions. Please don't be offended. Please don't write me a nasty comment, either. And thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Rachel A. Krause