For many, today is the day school starts back. Maybe for you it’s next week, or the week following. Either way, this is school time again. So, today’s list of people for whom I’m praying is long. Join me in lifting these people up to the throne of God:
1) I’m praying for every child going to class, from the littlest kindergartener to the biggest senior. I’m praying that niceness abounds, that little ears listen, and that little feet do not stumble.
2) I’m praying for every new university student, starting their years of higher education. I’m praying for them to have peace of mind and not be overwhelmed by the expectations, and that they hold fast to their faith.
3) I’m praying for every parent who has to watch their little ones trot out of sight (but not out of mind), backpack bouncing as they go. Every year before this year I’ve had to watch one of my boys disappear behind a pair of school doors, and every year I would always think “this is insanity; why am I letting my little baby be taken into the care of someone else, even if it’s just for a few hours a day?” That’s about the time I would tell myself that they’re not little babies anymore. They’re big now. They don’t want Spider-Man on their backpack. They want one that’s all black and grown-up looking. They’re big now.
I am not okay with this.
4) I’m praying for the parents who are not taking pictures of their little ones this morning, who are not drumming their fingers and wondering if their children are happy and safe. They’re the parents whose kids are done with school, and while that’s a great milestone, it’s also a bittersweet moment for parents, realizing that a part of your life for the past 12+ years is now over and done.
5) I’m praying for the teachers, who are well aware of all the anxiety many parents and kids are feeling today, yet who are often given none of the patience and grace parents give themselves. I’m guilty of that. Theirs is often a thankless job. I hope it’s not also a prayerless one.
6) I’m praying for every janitor, lunch lady, bus driver, and every other worker whose job puts them behind the scenes but without them a school could not function.
7) I’m praying for all the home school parents. I pray they lean on each other for the support they rarely get from bureaucrats.
For many, today is a fun one. For others, it’s tough. It’s a weird one for me as all three of my boys are homeschooling this year, which means for the first time in a decade I haven’t had to drop anyone off at a school building and watch them disappear behind those doors. So why am I still crying? I’m just sitting here listening to Bob Dylan and silently crying. What’s wrong with me?!
Remember those mentioned above, and others who need prayers too.
~ Matthew