Back To School

One of the things that we struggle with as parents, especially this first year of school, is that our children will be outside the safety zone of our nest at home. That means they will begin to face the infant-sized trials that will eventually become adult-sized as they age. The stages of being a baby and a toddler are over. We have now entered the era of navigating issues with our children.

I’m learning to ask our Father how to pray for them and to listen for his still, small voice in my soul as he impresses prayer needs on my heart. If you, too, have a senior in your life, I invite you to join me in waiting on God and praying however he leads.

Below are ten pocket prayers and verses to lift up when you feel anxious, overwhelmed, discouraged, or defeated.

Here are 5 prayers for Christian teachers in public schools. They can help you remain strong in your faith while fulfilling your professional responsibilities with excellence and love.

Praying for our children as they go to school is a wonderful way to seek God's guidance, protection, and blessing over their academic, social, and spiritual journey. Here are 10 types of Christian prayers you can pray for your kids as they head to school.

As the school year approaches, we can become easily swept up with to-do lists that we forget the most important task ahead is to keep our eyes on God and our hearts in prayer. Remember that you have been given a very special gift by God to be a part of a young person's life (Mark 10:13-16), and it is a duty to pray and intercede for them.

Remember those who know who are in the teaching profession and lift them up in prayer. Ask the Lord how you can support them. Consider writing them notes with prayers, making them care packages, or making them a meal during the first few weeks of school. Remember that your support, prayers, and love will make an impact not only on them, but upon those they teach as well.

I delight in buying composition books, index cards, highlighters, and the like. Whether you enjoy school supplies as I do, or not, many of us purchase a backpack for our children and fill it with the annual supply list. But our preparation must not stop there. In a recent sermon, our Pastor suggested we also fill a second backpack for our children: a spiritual backpack. 

Also, if your mornings tend to involve lots of nagging and persuading your child to get ready, why not try some practice runs? Set your child's alarm to school time before the first day and start to establish a regular morning routine in preparation.

Your method is the best method for your family. Even though the specifics of how you organize your school room or calendar are for you to determine, there are a few things that we all should do in order to prepare for the school year. We each need to take time to seek the Lord as we prepare our homes for our learning routine. Creating a routine for your home is also vital to keep everyone sane on this journey.

Scripture tells us that the prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective and that we as Christ-followers are made righteous through faith in Him. Therefore, we kneel before the Lord in confidence, knowing that He hears our pleas for our children and will answer according to His good, pleasing, and perfect will. 

Photo Credit: SWN Design

Adults are glad the kids are going back to school, but they have the pressure to get the entire family re-acclimated to schedules and possibly a new routine.

Jesus invites those of us who are weary and burdened to draw closer to him (Matthew 11:28-30). When you start to wonder if you are enough for your kids, if you are making the right choices for them, and try to devise all the ways to protect them, it's time to bring that worry list to the feet of Jesus. He wants to draw you near and help you find him in this season of parenthood.

He's the one who has given us these gifts, and to forsake Him and His wisdom along the journey would be harmful to our overall development.

These transitional days back to school mark a critical need to lay a foundation of prayer for our children. Our best resource for prayer is the Bible because it contains God’s will for us. Meditate on the following verses and ten prayers for the school year. As you pray, include the names of your children to make them personal.

Encouraging your child’s teacher throughout the year is more important than you realize. Every hard-working teacher needs to know they are making a difference in your son or daughter’s life, as well as connecting with you in a meaningful way. Make a list of how you will encourage your children’s teachers today!

He still remembered the days of memorizing the Proverbs - one for each chapter. And surprisingly, he could still recall many of them! Of course, this warms my heart as a mom, knowing that even 30 years later, God’s truth is planted in his heart (and will now be planted in the hearts of my grandkids).sl

Although it is not possible to entirely eliminate ADD/ADHD behaviors, in the field of special education and nutrition, we have found that there are many ways to make learning and attention easier for a child who is suffering from symptoms of hyperactivity/attention disorder or memory issues. We have found targeted nutrition, midline therapy, and right-brain teaching methods to aid children, teens, and adults in focusing and retaining information more easily.

Help me to be a stable, reliable force in these children’s lives. I pray they will feel freedom to learn and grow within the comfort of the boundaries I set for them. And above all, I pray they will know the love of your Son Jesus through me

As excited as I am to watch my children reconnect with old friends, grow their knowledge, and embark on new adventures, I often wrestle with the "what-ifs" the new school year also brings.