The phrases “a lamp unto my feet” and “a light unto my path” sound similar but have slightly different meanings. The difference is small, but significant. Strong’s Concordance teaches: “A lamp unto my feet” means a small candle-like light, something small that illuminates only a few steps along the journey. “A light unto my path” is a larger light that illuminates a greater area, and helps keep the traveler on the correct path toward the final destination. We need both types of light as we are striving to build happy, effective, righteous, and eternal families. We can use the Word, our Savior, as a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path in our efforts to strengthen our families and build our homeschool and plans for family learning and improvement.
I have been blessed to have both “a lamp unto my feet” in helping me see the specific steps I need to take to help my children on a daily basis, and “a light unto my path” in guiding me to see the ultimate goals of learning and teaching in my home. I will share many of the things I have learned through fifteen years of homeschooling, including failures, bumps, detours, u-turns, blackouts, and even glimpses of joyous success in our family’s homeschool journey.
