Back to School Wisdom

I have loved seeing all the back to school pictures on social media! It’s a time of excitement and new beginnings. But it can also be a stressful time for both parents and kids. Buying school supplies and packing lunches. Organizing schedules and changing bedtimes. Helping little ones be brave on their very first day or helping older ones adjust to new schools.

Now once again we have another school year with concerns about keeping kids safe from a pandemic and the worries of kids falling behind due to virtual classrooms. I will tell you this: your worries won’t go away when your kids are grown. You may have thought you will worry less when your kids are “grown-up,” but the truth is, you will still worry—you will just have different things to worry about. It is simply our human nature to struggle with worry and fear. It is certainly no coincidence, then, that the words “Fear not” appear in the Bible 365 times!

So how do we calm our fears? David wrote about how he conquered his fears in Psalm 34:4. “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” But if you back up a few more verses, David actually started seeking the Lord by praising the Lord. “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.”

Praising God reminds us of His glorious character—that He can be trusted and is powerful beyond measure. It reminds us to stop scrambling for control of our circumstances and trust Him. There is just something about seeking the Lord through praise that lightens our mood and our burdens, helping us to release our fears to Him.

Before I switched to homeschooling, my oldest daughter did go to school for a couple of years. I remember worrying about her as she went off to kindergarten. There was no pandemic— just the thoughts and worries of a nervous Mama. While she was learning new things in kindergarten, I was learning new things about trusting God with my children. God loves my kids even more than I do. It’s hard to imagine, but it’s true.

God not only loves my kids, but He also has a plan for their lives to accomplish His purposes. Psalm 139:16b says, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” The word “ordained” means planned, and the Hebrew word “written” here is “kathab,” which means “to write,” but also means to “prescribe”, like a doctor writes a prescription. Doctors write prescriptions for our good, to make us better! I had to let that truth sink in— that God has a good plan for my kids, even better than my plan.

The important thing to note here is that what God sees as good may not always be what I see as good. The hard part is in learning to trust God’s good more than my own idea of good. I don’t want my kids to struggle to succeed in something. In my eyes, that’s not what is good for them. But what if struggling teaches them tenacity? I don’t want my kids to have their feelings hurt by other kids, but what if that develops a sensitivity and kindness in them toward others? I want to trust God with them, even when what He chooses is not what I would choose. Because God is always good.

So keep posting pics and praying for your precious kids! The college-age ones, too, because they need your prayers the most! And keep releasing them to a faithful God, who loves them even more than you do!

First Day of School

It’s your first day of school. I can’t believe how you’ve grown, 
But the day had to come. Growing up won’t postpone. 
Your hair bow is straight. Don’t get your dress mussed. 
Here is your lunch. Did you get your teeth brushed?
As I watch you get ready, my mind starts to stray,
And I think back to a memory of another first day.
The first time I held you with wonder and pride,
That maternal devotion was born deep inside.
Your fuzzy head snuggled up under my chin,
I knew you were knit to my heart even then.
That love has grown deeper as you’ve grown through the years,
And though I’m proud of this milestone, I’m the one plagued with fears!
Will you be able to keep up in the things you will learn?
Will your teacher encourage you? Will she be patient or stern?
Will you be shy or afraid? Will you come home in tears?
Will some child hurt your feelings? Will you get along with your peers?
And I can’t help but wonder as we get in the car—
How can some strange teacher know how special you are?
The clock ticks by slowly as you’re gone, and I wait.
Was it yesterday you kicked me, as I awaited my due date?
Growing up seems to happen overnight in a flash,
But as I pray, the Lord whispers, and I loosen my grasp.
I let go, and I realize that as you go everywhere—
Though I can’t always be with you— your God will be there. 
I can teach you and guide you to avoid each mistake,
But as you get older, your own choices you’ll make. 
I pray that those choices will keep you from sin—
That as your love for the Lord grows, you will glorify Him.
I release you today on my knees deep in prayer
To a God all-sufficient in mercy and care.
I guess all moms feel this same protective concern,
But I knew on this school day, I had a lesson to learn!
As I arrive to come get you, does it show on my face?
That God lovingly pruned my new branches in place?
Now I see your hair flying as you run to my side.
“I had so much fun!” you exclaim, your eyes wide.
I glance at your teacher as I hug you real close.
With a nod and a smile, she knows who learned the most. 

-c. Bobbie Perkins