In 2024, the United States of America elected its 47th President, and in 2025, the states of New Jersey and Virginia chose their Governors. As our nation prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, I invite you to pause and reflect with me on the meaning of independence and the enduring gift of freedom.
As homeschool families, why do we choose freedom? Why do we insist on leading our families, shaping our homes, and directing our children’s paths ourselves? Is it so that we can simply recreate systems we’ve already seen fail? So that someone else—whether the government, culture, or convenience—can define what’s “best” for us? Or is it because deep down, we know that freedom was given to us by God, and with it comes both privilege and responsibility?
For me, the answer is simple. Freedom is not man-made—it is God-given. It’s the divine right and responsibility of every parent, family, and believer to steward what has been entrusted to us without interference or oversight from those who neither understand nor share our convictions.
Freedom, though, is not without cost. As Thomas Jefferson reminds us, “The weight of freedom is eternal vigilance.” We must watch, guard, and pray—because the same systems that promise to “help” often end up controlling. As Ronald Reagan wisely warned, “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help,” are nine of the most dangerous words in the English language. Dependency, no matter how well-intentioned, can quietly erode dignity. It begins with convenience and ends with control.
My family decided years ago to step away from the world’s expectations and follow the vision God gave us for our home and our children. Living on one income has reminded us that everything else is a resource, but God alone is the Source. Since we began this journey in 2022, we have never missed a mortgage payment, never gone hungry, and never been forsaken. Time and again, provision has met obedience.
Before this season of my life, I never questioned the formula I was taught to follow: earn degrees, get married, have children, keep climbing the career ladder, and move to a “good” neighborhood with “better” public schools. I never paused to ask what “better” even meant—or for whom. But when God interrupted my checklist, He invited me to see life differently.
Freedom begins in the heart. It’s the courage to question what everyone else accepts. It’s the willingness to wrestle with Truth even when it’s uncomfortable. It’s the humility to admit that security without sovereignty isn’t freedom at all.
This understanding has required me to unlearn the traditional methods I once trusted. True learning—true living—is not about performance or checklists. It’s about cultivating wonder. It’s about curiosity, character, and the lifelong pursuit of wisdom.
Over time, I’ve found that freedom is both exhilarating and weighty. It asks us to stay awake—to think deeply, pray fervently, and guard our hearts against complacency. Neil Postman once said that our culture is “amusing itself to death.” How true that feels today. With every scroll, click, and clip, the temptation is to think less, feel less, and trust less. But we were not created for passivity. We were created for depth, meaning, and divine purpose.
In a world where artificial intelligence threatens to replace human thought, where headlines and opinions are louder than truth, and where convenience often trumps conviction, we must return to what is real. We must return to God.
Freedom is not something we win once—it’s something we must steward daily. And stewardship requires vigilance. We must be alert to the subtle ways our independence can be bought, distracted, or quietly surrendered.
Sometimes freedom doesn’t look like fireworks or sweeping reforms. Sometimes freedom looks like restraint. It looks like laws not being passed. It looks like space—space for families to breathe, lead, and live according to their convictions without unnecessary interference.
May we never grow weary of defending it.
May we never trade it for ease or approval.
And may we never forget that the Author of freedom still reigns—powerful, faithful, and true.
