Conviction vs Preference- why you do what you do?...

When we moved to Virginia almost 15 yrs ago... from Maryland we had to choose how we were home schooling... meaning why do we homeschool? In Virginia a family can homeschool with a religious exemption . You had to get some affedavits from some people who knew you and have them state you were homeschooling because of a conviction to teach your children verses just a preference based on you religious beliefs. We obtained this while we were there home schooling our kids. At the time the question of why we do what we do came up in our famiy discussions... is it of a deep conviction or just a personal preference... now what is the difference. This is how it was defined by us... a conviction is worth it all- you would go to jail for your belief or worse. A preference on the other hand is something if you were pressed you would change or at least consider. It is a matter of how strongly you stand up for your belief when it becomes hard....

We feel convicted to home school our children and so that is why we went that route to home schooling while in Virginia. I personally feel that all parents should be convicted of how they should teach their children whatever option they feel lead to...

Since that time in Virginia I have been profoundly affected by this thought of my convictions and it has changed my life. I am a very independent thinker and decision maker... I am not easily swayed by others or what they think. I have always been like this and so convictions are deep in me and thought out to all degrees....I believe the Lord challenges me to be like this and gave me this type of personality... also my parents raised me to be a strong, independent thinker. We had many heat discussions around the dinner table about issues and we did not always agree.. Paul was totally amazed at how my family could function like this and get up from the table and still speak to one another.. we were raised to know what we believed and why. I also believe it is very Biblical to know what we believe and why...

Now many of you know my heart for adoption and how long that heart has been molded to love orphans... and I can honestly say it is a deep and very personal conviction of mine that comes from several verses in the Bible as well my personal experience with the Lord... I know that He loves children and has an ache and grieves for the orphans... James 1:27 Religion that
God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress. There are so many more verses and all have deepened my conviction for helping orphans. My own personal experiences with our adoptions and visiting the many orphanages we have been to has brought me closer to the Lord's heart for these children...

Paul and I are strongly prolife and live out this belief thru our conviction and walk in our adoption journeys. This is one of the main reasons why we have such a heart for the special needs children.... we have also seen our own children overcome and strive towards a better and healtier life. To us all life is precious and blessed and given thru the Lord. We have decided based on our convictions of pro life to adopt... to keep adopting special children until the Lord tells us differently....

There is a great reward and feeling to sticking to these convictions... one they become deeper and more intense in our hearts and walk, they give us more faith and a realization of the amazing Lord we serve and how wonderful to watch as he provides for us as we walk out these convictions that we believe He has placed in our hearts....

Adopting and birthing children is an absolute high for me... but an even greater feeling of fulfillment comes from knowing that the Lord has called me to be a part of His will and then watching Him work thru me ... all because I open my heart to Him and allow Him to fill me with His convictions. Do I have a preference when I am doing the Lord's will ? I also believe in free will but I hand over freely my own will to His... and so my convictions related to pro life, home schooling and orphans make me willing to go thru with them to completion even when it gets tough... and all life lived is tough at times....

So what makes you do what you do? I know when I close my eyes at nite for rest... that I serve an amazing God and I can do more for the causes or convictions He has placed in my heart. Thanks for listening to my postings about this and I'd be interested in hearing why some of you do what you do?