Summer break is short here in England. It seems like school just ended and now we are getting ready to go back to school. Actually, we did have a six-week break. Back to school seems to come whether you are ready or not. As you think about back to school, ask yourself the question, Is Your Heart Ready for Back to School?

You make sure the school supplies are ready. The new lunch box was purchased. There are various snacks and things for lunches in the pantry. You have prepared clothes for the children. Are you forgetting one of the most important things to have ready for back to school? Have you prepared your heart for back to school?

Here are a few areas that you can consider as you prepare your heart for back to school?

Have a Grateful Heart

In June I had all kinds of plans and activities, places we would visit, fun things we would do during the summer holiday. For various reasons, those plans didn’t all happen. We did go to the Wildlife Park. If I think about it, I can quickly come up regrets for the things we didn’t do. I can not allow my heart to dwell there instead I need to have a grateful heart. There are so many things that happened that we can be grateful for. So as you reflect on the summer, have a grateful heart.

Have a grateful heart as you think about the coming school year. It doesn’t matter if you homeschool, send your children to private school, or local school. Have a grateful heart for the opportunities that are before you.

A grateful heart will change how you view the past and the future. We have so much to be thankful for. Maybe even with your children make a list of things from the summer that you can be thankful for.

Have a Praying Heart

A memory I have from growing up was every morning and I think my mom was good and did this every morning, as we were getting ready to go out to walk to the bus for school. She would pray with us. She might pray for tests we had that day or friends or just asking God to help us that day. After praying she would send us out the door to walk to get the bus.

As your children head back to school, I challenge you to have a praying heart. Pray with your children so that they hear you and know you are praying. Pray when you are alone for their school day. I try to pray as I drive home from school drop off. It is a great time to pray for the teachers, other students, my daughter, and other related requests.

Have a praying heart. Commit to praying for your children, other students, and teachers. Join a prayer group for the school or begin one. Praying for Teens A to Z Prayer Guide is a great resource as you pray for teens.

Have a Servant’s Heart

Are you beginning to dread all the things that parents get asked to do for school? Maybe you are homeschooling and it all falls on you. How would it be if you had a servant’s heart about all the things you are asked to do? How would it be different if you considered what you are doing as a way to serve God? Think about how Jesus served. That is our motivation.

That would really change how I view the emails that come asking me to do something. That would change how I respond to my child when she asks me to do something related to school.

A servant’s heart requires that I put others needs before my own desires. It requires humility as I do things and respond with others needs and not my needs or desires.

Have a Compassionate Heart

Compassion is a type of love. This is often in how we are thinking and acting. At different places in the gospels, we read that Jesus was moved with compassion. Jesus was moved with compassion seeing the hungry crowd that had been with him for three days. (Mark 8:2). Compassion moves us to action.

Our own children could need compassion from us this school year. It might be new challenges, it might be in response to other students. The teachers and staff need compassion. We do not know what all goes on in their classroom and even in their personal lives. What a testimony our compassion could be to them.

Have a compassionate heart and look to give compassion to those around you.

Have a Protector’s Heart

Yes, we commit our children to God for him to protect them. God has given our children to us for us to protect. There are times that we need to step in and protect our children. We need to be ready to stand in the gap for our children. It could mean making sure the IEP is being followed. It could mean advocating for them. We need to be ready and willing to do the things that will help our children even if it is difficult and requires us to sacrifice.

It is a balance of letting your children do what they are responsible for and reaping the consequences and stepping in when necessary. If you are not sure, talk about it with your spouse or a close friend.

We had a situation last year with our daughter and her form. The girls were calling her, “cute”. It was not in a mean or bullying way. We talked about it and felt that it was not something we needed to address with the school. We let it go and it stopped. The girls got to know Miss K and learned that her birthday is a big event. Those girls put together a bag of sweets and a card and gave it to her. I am glad I didn’t say something and have them become afraid to interact with her.

Be Ready for Back to School

This has helped me to pause and think about how my heart needs to be ready for back to school. A lot of the attitude is set by me so it is important that I have a heart that is ready.

Be wise. Learn to listen to God and your children. Have your heart ready for back to school. This is an exciting time and so be ready what God is going to do.

 

Is your heart ready for back to school? Share with me a way that you are preparing your heart for back to school.