5 ways to make this the best school year ever
Anna Collins
Pencils? Check.
Paper? Check.
Folders? Check.
Tissue? Check
Glue? Check.
Ruler? Check.
Getting ready for a new school year can feel like an endless to-do list. But some of the most important preparations we’ll make as parents has little to do with supplies.
5 Ways To Make This the Best School Year Ever
1. Focus on who you want your kids to become.
A new school year is a good time to re-evaluate our goals as parents. We get caught up in good grades, how athletic our kids are, or whether they get a role in the school play; but this is not where our focus should be. 1 Thessalonians 2:4 says, “We are not trying to please people, but God, who tests our hearts.”
What if this school year we focused more God's plan for our children’s lives, not who we want them to be. Chances are they will never be payed to act or swing a bat, but God's plan for their life can change the world.
2. Prioritize your Jesus time.
In the school year, it’s easy to live life on autopilot. There are breakfasts to make, lunches to pack, homework to finish, papers to sign and poster board to buy. Busyness is Satan’s best friend. In Mark 6:31, Jesus instructs his disciples to come away with him to a quiet place where they can rest. Take what Jesus says, and do it! Get away to a quiet place each day and be with Jesus.
If you can’t hear God’s voice over your family's go, go, go routine, your kids can’t either.
3. Take charge of your family's schedule.
Your family's schedule reflects your priorities. If you can’t hear God’s voice over your family's go, go, go routine, your kids can’t either. Busy is the new normal, so be weird! Romans 12:2 reminds us not to conform to the patterns of this world. Don't force God to fill the gaps of your schedule. Build your calendar making time with Jesus, church attendance and family time a priority. Then allow other activities to fill the gaps.
4. Don’t leave Jesus at church.
What our kids get to experience every Sunday is awesome, but it's not enough. Deuteronomy 6:6 instructs parents to teach our children daily about Jesus. Our children's spiritual walk is our responsibility. Make Jesus a part of your daily routine this school year:
- Post Bible verses for your family to memorize.
- Help them look up verses about situations they experience at school.
- Pray with your kids and encourage their relationship with Jesus.
5. Cover your kids in prayer.
We can do all the right things, but at the end of the day, it is Jesus who is going to set our kids hearts on fire. Philippians 1:9-11 is an awesome prayer to pray for your kids:
“And this is my prayer: that (child's name) love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that (he/she) may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ --to the glory and praise of God.”