Well, school is in session. I know this because plastered all over my Facebook newsfeed are pictures of kids holding up signs that say, “First Day Of 3rd Grade!” I actually enjoy seeing the pictures, and I am amazed at the smiling faces of these kids. Most of them actually seem excited to go back to school — man, I never felt that way.
The last day of summer break was the most miserable day of the year for me. If my mom had taken those types of pictures of me, they would give the impression that I was in a state of constant grouchy-syndrome! I was that kid on the last day of school that was sprinting down the school hallway and crashing out the front door of the building yelling, “FREEDOM”!
For me, summer was full of adventure! It was free from commitment (mostly). It was… liberating. Not that school was all bad. It had its moments of community, competition and scholastic discovery… but it sure had its share of challenges too.
Peer pressure. Trying to figure out what it looked like to “fit in”. Trying to actually “fit in”. Dealing with bullies. Girls. Girls who were bullies. Trying to discover what I was good at. Seeming to discover a lot of what I was NOT good at. How to live out my faith in a hostile setting. Avoiding getting into trouble (and sometimes failing at that). In the later years it involved juggling a difficult schedule of classes, study, sports, church, friendship and work. School is challenging in ways that transcend academics.
So, as the kids in our Church Family head back to school, could you please remember to pray for them? Pray that they offer their best. Pray that they stay safe. Pray that they discover their gifts. Pray that their faith grows strong. Pray that they help make others, better. Pray that they are light in a dark world. Pray that they are all that Jesus intends for them to be! And maybe you could let one or two of them know, through a card or a kind word, that you have their back — and that you believe in them!
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