Summer 2016

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Patros Logos: a father’s words for homeschooling dads
cept this fact. There is “a time to keep, and
a time to cast away …” (v. 6b).
Most of us reading these words are still
primarily in “a time to keep” with regard to
our children. But there probably will come
a day when they will be lovingly “cast away”
to begin their own stories; some to mar-
riage, some to educational opportunities
and/or apprenticeships, still others to be-
gin their own businesses. The very thought
of my children experiencing the inevitable
pain and varying degrees of failure apart
from their mother and me is difficult to ac-
cept. And yet we will be with them in the
sense that, for good or ill, and probably
both, they have seen us endure trials and
have learned how to respond in adversity.
In Ecclesiastes 3:11–13, the Preacher
writes that God “has made everything
beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eter-
nity into man’s heart .... I perceived that
there is nothing better for them than to be
joyful and to do good as long as they live;
also that everyone should eat and drink and
take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s
gift to man.”
No scientific poll here, but I suspect that
most men don’t find great joy and satisfac-
tion in their work. Neither do most of us
thrive in times of great adversity. Yet Ec-
clesiastes makes the application through-
out this book that we should, in fact, be
content with what God has ordained for
our lives. We can be joyful, content, and
do good as long as we live, even when do-
ing menial, unsatisfying labor, but only
with an eternal perspective.
This is not to say that a man should not
have dreams and aspirations. He should. It
seems to me, however, that God has a way
of making our dreams and goals sprout
most rapidly in the fertile soils of true con-
tentment. Do not let the disappointments
of life rob your children and future genera-
tions of a rock solid trust in God’s plan for
your life.
We fallen beings tend to worry and fuss
over all the wrong things. In Matthew 6,
Jesus promises to take care of His children.
The best thing we can do is to “seek first the
kingdom of God, and his righteousness.”
Men who model this are throwing a rope to
future generations that cannot fail.
Whatever we do, we dare not simply “as-
sume” that this and future generations will
turn out okay. We need to set our faces like
flint toward Jesus Christ and His Word, dil-
igently pray, be constantly aware of the little
eyes around us watching, always watching
and listening. We must be diligent in our
commitment not to become complacent.
Several years ago, I clipped out an article
from The Des Moines Register that provided
a wonderful picture of the importance of
keeping our heads in the game. Shortly be-
fore his Aero-Peru Boeing 757 crashed into
the Pacific Ocean in the fall of 1996, pilot
Erik Schreiber complained that he had lost
all of his navigation instruments.
“The computers have gone crazy,” he
said. Moments later he said, “What’s hap-
pening? What altitude am I at? Why is my
ground crash alarm on? Am I over land or
sea?”
Schreiber tried to make it back to the
Lima airport in the early morning dark-
ness, but his plane crashed into the ocean
28 minutes later, killing the pilot and 69
others on board. This was not the first time
air traffic controllers had heard such chill-
ing words. Cockpit computers played a role
in two other 757 crashes in the previous
year, claiming 349 lives. While investiga-
tors do not know what caused the trouble
with either plane, there was a similar symp-
tom: a breakdown in the plane’s revolu-
tionary “glass cockpit.” This is the area that
houses the computerized panels, color tele-
vision screens that inform pilots about their
plane’s course and mechanical functions.
I don’t know how things have changed
since then, but even back then they had re-
dundant electronics backed up with several
tried and true manual instruments. What
investigators found out was that a sudden
loss of the computerized images can stun
pilots. Some critics say that the very same
electronics which allow pilots to plot their
entire trip, including the landing, also can
cause them to lower their guard.
A veteran 757/767 pilot said this: “What
happens is, guys get focused on the magic
and forget the plane is still flying.” He went
on to describe that pilots are instructed to
turn off the electronics when a problem
arises and simply use a compass and me-
chanical airspeed indicators. He said the
switch is sometimes more difficult for the
younger pilots to make. “They forget that
as long as the wings are there and there’s
no problem with the power plant, you can
still fly … you just have to make the men-
tal shift” (The Des Moines Register, Oct. 10,
1996).
Fellow fathers, let’s not be lulled into
thinking that autopilot is going to get us or
our families where we need to be. Rather,
let’s commit ourselves once again to glorify-
ing God and enjoying Him forever, even if
the temporary is not always pleasant.
At the end of Ecclesiastes, the Preacher
summarizes it all in this way: “The end
of the matter; all has been heard. Fear
God and keep his commandment, for
this is the whole duty of man.” And don’t
ever forget that in doing so, you, too,
are throwing a rope, not only to your
own children, but also to the genera-
tions yet to be born. Let the legacy begin!
Originally published in the Summer 2014
edition of Homeschool Iowa.
Mike Evansof Earlham and his wife, Karla,
are homeschool parents to five children: Luke
(23); Benjamin (21), a student at the University
of Northwestern—St. Paul; Elisabeth (17);
Gabriella (13); and Jared (10).
Do not let the disappointments of life rob your
children and future generations of a rock solid
trust in God’s plan for your life.