08/30/2024
School Is In Full Swing!
As you can tell by the early morning and late afternoon traffic and the sighting of those long yellow machines on the road (usually called a school bus!), school is back in full swing. To which many scratch their heads and ask, “Where did the summer go?”
Pray for students as they begin their new school year routines. It’s time to start filling their heads full of knowledge. According to Buckminster Fuller, a futurist and inventor:
“….estimated that up until 1900, human knowledge doubled approximately every century, but by 1945 it was doubling every 25 years. And by 1982, it was doubling every 12-13 months.”
With that in mind, parents (and older generations), have you ever commented, “They need to get back to teaching the basics in school.” You cannot turn the hands of the clock backward (Sorry for those of you who don’t know what an analog clock is). What might be considered the basics for us is not the same for today’s students. Knowledge is knowledge. There is a lot of it. What we do with the knowledge we acquire takes wisdom. But that is another area for another time.
If it was simply about acquiring knowledge that would be one thing. But it is not. Now comes discipline problems and social issues that students are faced with. For Christian students who want to live out their faith, this can be a challenge. You might be thinking, well, that has always been the case. Hold on a minute. What was the percentage of students from your K-12 came from broken homes? Did you go to school during the era of school shootings? Did you go to school in the era where gender identity was a topic of discussion? How many arguments did you have in school over transgenderism? What about hormone replacement therapy? Or even the discussion of whether a minor child should be required to let their parents know that they want to transition. How about the erasing of gender identity? Boys in girl’s locker rooms. Or, boys being able to join a girls’ athletic team?
What can we do to help our children, especially Christian students who want to follow their faith? Those students who believe we were created by God. Those students who believe God created two genders. The students who believe God has set boundaries and guidelines for our protection and best interest.
One thing you can do is to sure things up in your home. Be the parents God has called you to be. Love God, love each other, and let your children see that you value them as a gift that God has entrusted you with for a brief period to prepare them for adulthood. As James Dobson said many years ago, turn your hearts towards home.
Next, let your faith in God be real to them. Demonstrate to them what it is to love God and to put him first in your life. Make sure as a family that you are part of a church that teaches and fosters biblical truths. It is not about the size of the church you attend it is about what is taught. Don’t make the mistake that so many parents do, even in their church lives, if we can keep them busy then we can keep them out of trouble. No! Teach them what it is to have a relationship with God so that when struggles arise (and they will) He will be with them to guide them through.
Teach them that they will not only be in school with students who will not agree with their values but remind them that will be the case throughout their lives. We will not give an account of the choices that other people make. We will be accountable to God for the decisions we make and the lives we live.
Finally, pray for your children. Pray for their schools. Pray for their teachers and administrators. Pray for their fellow students. Give thanks to God for those He has placed there to shed the light of Christ.
One more note. Those of you who can drive your children to school, teach them that you can pray anywhere. When my children were in school, I had the privilege of being able to drive them. While driving them I would pray for them, and they would pray for me. What a great opportunity!
Blessings!
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