Simple Decisions
We all desire to have honorable, virtuous children, but how often do we step back and evaluate our own actions? In our 21 years of shipping educational supplies we have accumulated, like every business, our share of war stories; tales of customers who have lost some of their battles for integrity.
We have seen Washington orders being shipped to Oregon or Idaho so that the Washington resident does not have to pay sales tax.
Overseas customers have requested that we fraudulently use their friend’s military address.
Missionaries have asked us to falsify the customs form to say that the items being shipped are not new but used.
And lately, the most frequent example of deception is the customer who takes a new priority mail box, turns it inside out and uses it to ship a return back to us via media rate. Sadly, this misuse has forced the USPS to print on both sides of the boxes, resulting in rate increases for all of us.
Is this rampant fraud the result of a love of money? Is it a lack of faith in God’s ability to provide needed resources? Or is it earthly wisdom that equates deceitfulness with cleverness?
We need to always be mindful that homeschooling is more than workbooks and computer programs. The simple, mundane decisions we make everyday (driving, building permits, church attendance, personal devotions, entertainment choices…) will teach our children what we consider to be most valuable, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of our children. These observations will have a much greater impact on their lives than understanding prepositions, biology, or algebraic equations ever could.
