There was noise down the hallway today. Lots of it. Feet were running, shuffling and dragging along the inner and outer edge of the long blue-edged walk that leads to hours of learning. There were sounds of renewed friendships, sounds of "I don't want to" and sounds of parents with slips of tears running down their cheeks. For me, these are the sounds of feet that are one foot out the door.
School is a good thing. Things happen there. Learning happens, academic and social. Friends happen. The kind that last a lifetime. We learn how to be responsible and take control of our actions. Sometimes. Parents send their children to school to further education and learn some life skills.
But, with each year of learning and advancing in grade, it only brings each and every student closer to heading out the door and parents watching as their feet walk firmly away. From us.
If we only have these children for a while...A time period...A short span of life...then what does God want us to invest in with these small beings that He fashioned for us? We can invest in the best schools, the best home-schooling materials, the best of what ever it takes to educate these precious treasures and still miss the exact reason that God put those gifts into our lives. Obtaining the "American Dream" is not it. Yes, we want our children to succeed and become productive citizens in our society, but what does God want from them? And what does He expect us to do?
Deuteronomy 6 is clear. We are to teach our children how to love God when we are sitting in our house, when we are walking down the way, when we lie down and when we get up. That's pretty much all the time. It goes on to say we are to write them on the doorposts of our houses…maybe so we see them all the time. It doesn't say "the school should", or "the church is responsible for ". It says "YOU shall teach them DILIGENTLY to your sons (and daughters)". That's pretty clear. Nowhere to get around anything in that word from God Himself.
As the school year begins let's remember that teaching doesn't only belong at school. It needs to begin at home…with parents who love and submit to a Holy God.
A few truths every student needs to know:
The Bible is true. Every single word. Every single God-Breathed Word. Don't neglect it. It is your life.
Believe that what God says about you is the truth.
*Go to church. Every time something is going on. It's the coming together of believers with one heart and one mind on God that you can find the harmony of the fellowship. Don't neglect it.
*Serve other people. Not just your friends. People are hurting and have needs, whether it's physical or emotional. Keep your eyes open to see where God is working.
*Be the friend that perhaps someone is longing for, but doesn't have. You will never regret showing someone God's grace when it's most needed. Don't discount God using you in another persons life.
*Tell people about Jesus. He's worth it. Let your life show Who He is. Be the one who leads others to the altar of grace.
*Go out of the country on a mission trip. You can do missions at home….and home needs it, but going out of our edge of the world will open your eyes wide to see just how BIG and MIGHTY God works in other places. Ask God to give you eyes for the world. I promise, it will change your entire outlook.
(Some parents fear sending their child out of the country….we did it. And we have never regretted one trip they took.)
So, as students started school today and parents have to adjust to a new way of life at home, remember that every year is putting them one foot out the door.
It's a good thing. There will be
School has its place, but more important than SAT or ACT scores, more important than full-ride scholarships, there is teaching to be done by parents that exceeds all the combined teaching that a school can give.
Teach them to love God with all their hearts, soul, mind and strength. Teach them that God will never leave them. Teach them that what is found in the infallible Word will lead to all truth in whatever they come against. Teach them that God's love is better than all the education in the world.
And when it happens…and it will…that they have both feet out the door, you will never regret the time and effort you spent teaching and guiding them to the abundant grace that God gives us.
It's not an easy task, but one well worth it.
