I was a public school kid and I know the horrors that happen in the hallways. I’m thankful that I was taught respect and was raised in a good home; that helped to ground me and keep a good head on my shoulders. Still, it is always terrifying whenever I let my kids out of my sight, and I know they are eventually going to be exposed to things that are very bad and dangerous. That happens in school. That happens in life. I can’t shelter them forever. I can only train them. I can only lead a God-fearing home and help them to understand the value of their soul and the importance of looking to eternity.

I know that as they grow, my kids will be tempted, and they will give in to temptation from time to time (the Lord knows I sure did) but belonging to a good church family means they are going to grow up with young people they worship with every Sunday and eventually those friends they have in Bible class will be their brothers and sisters in Christ. Together they will help each other to stay strong in the faith.

I used to think staring a new year at school was hard, but then I became a parent. Now I know that dropping my kids off at school is the real challenge. It’s hard to think that they’re out of my sight for several hours a day, surrounded by so many potential influences, benign and not so benign. The fact is, that’s the world. Whether it’s at school or somewhere else, those influences are all around us and will always be around us. And what’s more, we can’t control our children any more than the Lord can control us. We all have free will.

As a parent, that’s a scary thought.

So I understand worrying. Just remember to cast your worries to the Lord (1 Peter 5:7). Aren’t you thankful that God gives us the Bible to help us know what is right and wrong? As Bible-believing parents we must guide our children. Like us when we were their age, children will stray from time to time, but like our Father in Heaven, all we can do is advise them, encourage them, rebuke them when they err, and forgive them when they repent.  It’s hard because, at some point, their future will be in their own hands, not ours. In the meantime our job as parents is to set them on the path and instruct them in the way of holiness.

Pray for children who are returning to school this week, and pray for the parents who are sending them off!

~ Matthew