Pioneers and Persecution



Photo taken in 2006.



*Please read this post before proceeding.*

I have always loved pioneer history. Laura Ingalls Wilder was one of my favorite people to read about. I think I loved that era so much because of all the adventure associated with it. She was involved in civilizing the western United States, was able to travel cross country with wagons and horses, had to forage and grow her own food, and much more. My inner adventurer wished I had lived with her family and could have seen all she saw in her long lifetime.

One thing I never thought about as a young girl was the hardships pioneers had to endure. Because Laura tells her stories from a child’s perspective, I never really grasped all that Ma and Pa Ingalls had to go through until just recently. They were doing something they felt was right and necessary when they moved west. They had to stand alone many times. I’m sure they often felt lonely because they were traveling alone. What they did was not easy at all!

I never dreamed that I would be a pioneer in a very different way. My adventure doesn’t involve traveling long distances nor fighting prairie fires. In fact, the battle is much closer to home than I anticipated. I never thought I would have to face persecution for my faith, but that is exactly where I find myself right now.

I can’t go into great detail, but our family has come under painful criticism for choices we have made as a family. The Lord has opened our eyes to the realization that we need to live by Scripture Alone. We have chosen to practice courtship, to dress modestly, to submit to parental authority and supervision, and to build strong family relationships and spend time together before others (outside of our relationship with God of course.)

Unfortunately, there are some—including homeschoolers and fellow Christians—who feel that we are being judgmental for practicing what we believe is clearly laid out in Scripture. We are in no way trying to judge others by our choices, and I don’t think that anyone in my family has the attitude that “we are better than everyone else because we obey Scripture.” That would be very arrogant. Just as every believer desires to share with others the redemption and grace they have found in a relationship with Jesus Christ, so we desire to share things that the Lord is teaching us, and what His word says about current issues.

This past Sunday afternoon, we watched an interesting DVD called “The Culture Wars” by Dr. Voddie Baucham. He said something that really encouraged us. If we are truly living according to the Bible and proclaiming Christ’s salvation and His truth to others, we WILL come under persecution. Jesus’ words in John 15:18-20 are such an encouragement to me: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed My teaching, they will obey yours also.”

Jesus tells us that the world will hate us if we follow Him without compromising! We need to be like Peter and John when they stood before the Sanhedrin in Acts 4. Verses 19 and 20 read, “But Peter and John replied, ‘Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.’” We cannot fear men; only God.

Is this easy? ABSOLUTELY NOT! There have been tears shed over hurtful things said to and about our family, and it is a constant battle not to allow bitterness and resentment to creep into our hearts. It is especially difficult when criticism comes from fellow believers or friends.

I ask that all of you dear readers would pray for my family and me. It is very challenging to be pioneers in the areas of homeschooling, Biblically patriarchal family relationships, parental authority, and fathers leading their children. It is easy to become discouraged and to give up in our fight for truth. Pray that the Lord would give us strength, and that we would trust Him as a Friend who will always be by our side, as the song “Bridge Over Troubled Water” says. Pray also that the Lord would give us wisdom and discernment, and help us to always “speak the truth in love.” And pray that our faith and our impact as a family will grow and flourish as we serve and honor God.