Praying your kids through their first week of school. Day 1: Pray for influence

Facebook is flooded today with first-day-of-school photos as kids across the Midwest go back to school. I’ll admit, I did my part.

“Dad, do you always have to take our picture on the first day of school?” they asked. And the answer is yes. Someday they will want to look back and remember today.

But whether it’s a positive look back, or one with some regrets could depend a lot on you… the one who took the picture. It’s possible that you, as a parent, can go through the motions year after year, merely documenting your children’s existence. But it’s also possible that you can be—or become—the most influential person in their lives.

I was reminded this morning (perhaps because I named my oldest Joshua), of the words God gave to Moses in Deuteronomy 3, as he prepared young Joshua for the great task of someday leading the Israelites into the Promised Land.

In Deuteronomy 3:28, the Lord said to Moses, “But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.”

This instruction provides a framework that we can use to pray our kids through their first week of school—or, if your kids have already gone back to school, through this week of school. Your commitment to praying for them this week, and in the weeks to come, could have a tremendous and far-reaching effect that they will recognize when they someday look back on their years in school.

 

Day 1: Pray for influence, and inspire them

Many of us reserve some fear in our minds over the possible negative influences that unfiltered access to their peers can have on our children. We have, perhaps, worked hard to shield them from these influences and protect them from the things that might harm or hinder them.

But today, just as God said to Moses concerning Joshua, we must remember that our most important job is not to protect our kids from the influence of the world, but to propel our children to be a great influence in the world.

“Commission Joshua…” He says. Remind him of his calling; tell him about the mission I have for him, God says.

And we must do the same for our children: inspire them with the mission they share with all of the church, to be salt and light wherever they go.

If you haven’t done it already, talk to your child

ren when they get off the bus about how they can live out God’s mission for them in their halls and classrooms. Here are a few ideas you can use to help them understand their commission:

• Challenge them to welcome the new kid into their group of friends. Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers…” While the first days in a new school can be the most vulnerable days, they can also a great opportunity for your kids to help another get off on the right foot and established in a positive friend group. Later in the week they can invite their new friend to church or youth group.
• Talk to them about befriending a classmate without friends. Colossians 4:5 says, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.” While your child might look fo rward to school every day, there are likely kids who dread walking alone through the halls, sitting alone at lunch, and being the one without a seat on the bus. What these kids need is more than tolerance; they need your child to be a friend to them when no one else has.
• Encourage them to stand up for what’s right. Deuteronomy 10:18 says that God, “Defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow…” When I was in school, I was intellectually opposed to the wrong things I saw every day. But true influencers take the next step, and like God does, they stand up and defend those who are most vulnerable. Help your child understand appropriate ways to stand up for those in need.

The most powerful influencers in our schools should not be kids who don’t care, the kids who curse, and the kids who bully. They should be the ones who stand up for and model what is good and godly. So, on this their first day of school, pray for your kids to be that kind of influencer… and when they get home inspire them to make a real difference in their world.

Today’s prayer for your child: Lord, today I trust You with my children. I pray that You will not only protect them from the influences of the world, but that You will inspire them and use them to be a powerful influence within it—for good and for Your Kingdom. Amen.

 

Coming up in this series from Deuteronomy 3:28…

Day 2: Pray for courage, and encourage them

Day 3: Pray for character, and esteem them

Day 4: Pray for boldness, and assure them