His Encouragement – Back to School

Posted by abakersp in Thoughtful Thursday / 2 Comments

Hello friends! Welcome to His Encouragement, a weekly dose of biblical encouragement to help get you through your week! Make sure you check out what my friends have to say too. Let’s all encourage each other!

Today starts another school year in my town, and for my daughter specifically. She’s a senior this year – something this mama is having a hard time with. How in the world did my little baby grow up so fast? Before you know it, she’ll be having babies of her own. {groan} For those of you who don’t know, my daughter goes to public school. Public schooling for young Christians is certainly not easy, but unfortunately this is how things are for our family. Anyways, school is not easy for my daughter. Don’t get me wrong – she is extremely smart and does not struggle with her studies. It’s other ways that she has some problems. Why? Because she’s different.

I’m going to be brutally honest for a moment – our school district has a HUGE problem with drinking, vaping and even drugs. Do I worry that my daughter will be dragged into some of these circles and leave her faith? No, not at all. Want to know why? She has made it extremely clear to her classmates that she will not partake in any of that. They constantly ask her to come to parties (not necessarily to drink, but just to hang out), and she is quick to say no. She doesn’t even want to be near the temptation. I am so very proud of her for that. They don’t make fun of her (thank the Lord for that!) either because of how honest and real she is with them. They just say okay and move on to another conversation. Even so, she’s still a little concerned this could change at any moment.

Here’s another problem our school has – believing that college is not for every child, or that our local BOCES program (think of it like learning an occupation in high school program) is only for the “dumb” kids. In another move to separate herself from the pressures of school, Caitlin enrolled herself in the cosmetology program at our BOCES center. They also have nursing, culinary, welding, auto mechanics, IT stuff and so much more for our young people in 11 and 12 grade. Do you know what her guidance counselor told her? She was making a huge mistake and essentially wasting her mind because she wouldn’t be able to continue her advanced classes. I won’t rant my thoughts – I am sure you can surmise them, but I was just in shock that she even had to deal with this. For the record, if she passes the state exam, she’ll have her cosmetology license and be able to immediately enter the work force!

This year the students have to go to this same guidance counselor for college preparations. My daughter has been clear with this person her lack of desire to go to college, which obviously does not sit well with this counselor. So she’s a little nervous about meeting with her. I will say this – she did find a program at a local state school where she can live at home (she doesn’t want to surround herself with “college life”) and take classes to get a two year degree in early child development so she could either work at or open her own daycare. This is the only school she wants to apply to and is letting the Lord lead her in that. But her real goal? To have a family. To be with her children and homeschool them. She doesn’t want to be a career woman, she wants to be a good wife and mother. I couldn’t be prouder. But it means this meeting with her counselor will probably have some obstacles.

Last night we prayed together about her school year and all the obstacles she’ll face this year. She asked God for guidance, wisdom, protection, and courage. It makes me think of this verse:

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; or whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1

My daughter has nothing to be afraid of, for God is with her. Yes, this counselor may be a thorn in her side from time to time, but her future is in God’s hand, not this counselor’s hand. God will provide my daughter the strength she needs to get through each and every day. It may not be easy, and it will take a lot of prayer, but even Jesus said….

“My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:30

Not only does God have my daughter’s back, He has your child’s back, and even you in whatever situation you are going through right now. We have absolutely nothing to fear with God on our side. I pray that we would remember that fact more often and that it would comfort each and every one of us. Please pray for all the children going back to school, whether it’s to a public school, online school, or homeschool. They all need our prayers 🙂

What’s been on your heart this week friends? I hope you’ll share in the comments, and please don’t forget to visit my friends and see what they’re sharing this week!

Trisha @ Joy of Reading

Nicole @ Christian Fiction Girl

Jacquelyn @ A Heavenly Home

Becca @ The Becca Files

Gina @ Stories by Gina

Rebecca @ Rev. Rebecca Writes

2 responses to “His Encouragement – Back to School

  1. I will pray for your daughter. As a Christian adult who teaches in a public school, I can tell you that she is surrounded by a lot of dark. BUT that gives her ample opportunities to be the light.

    The other day, I was talking to some teachers about books. We got to talking about a cute book I saw about a husband who learns how to romance his wife by secretly attending a romance book club for guys. We were laughing at the idea when one teacher asked me if I was going to read and review it on my blog. I told her, “no way, Jose! I don’t read secular novels anymore.” You could have knocked this teacher down with a feather. She asked me why I don’t read secular and I told her it’s because I am trying to honor what Paul tells us to do with our thoughts in Philippians 4:8 (focus on good, honest, virtuous things). Most secular things are slippery slopes that can lead a person to bad thoughts. Again, this teacher was shocked. She is a professing Christian, but when she discovered that I really live my life according to God’s Word, it popped her brain.

    My point in sharing this is that even if people claim to be God-followers in a public sphere, it may not be the case. I get the struggle your daughter is facing as I face it every single day. I am proud of the woman your daughter is becoming. She is very strong and brave, and God’s got a crown for her. As I said, I will be praying for her.

  2. I will definitely be praying for your daughter! What a blessing to see a young Christian woman standing up for what she believes and being proactive about resisting temptations! She’s got a good head on her shoulders Mama <3