Back to school season is upon us. For some parents, this has been a long time coming, while for others like myself, the thought of a new school year makes us feel sick to our stomach.
School started for us last Monday. My husband has been back full-time at the high school and my oldest began Kindergarten. While it’s been nice getting back into a routine, it’s sad that summer seemed to come and go in the blink of an eye!
So how did Kindergarten drop-off go? Well, the first day was perfect. We went as a family to see our oldest off. He was excited and didn’t shed a tear (I can’t say the same was true of myself). When I went to pick him up that day, he ran over to me and shouted, “school is fun!” This was music to my ears, but was it too good to be true? Well, kind of. The days since then have, overall, gone well. He’s shed some tears at drop-off but later tells me that he stops crying after “one minute.” I’ve asked him who or what makes him feel better after my husband or I say goodbye. Some days, he tells me Jesus makes him feel better and it melts my heart! Other days, he tells me he feels better when he starts singing “Uptown Funk” to himself. Whatever works, right?!
It’s been tough on me sending him to new school this year, but I’ve found so much peace in prayer. Each morning, my husband and I pray with our son. I pray with him before he leaves, and my husband prays with him in the car as they drive to school. I also pray for him throughout the day and have shared with our son that whenever I think about him during the day, I say a prayer that he’s having fun and learning new things. He loves hearing this!
As we dive into this new school year, I wanted to share some of the prayers I pray over my son:
- I pray for his safety and the safety of all those who work at and attend the school.
- I pray for peace among the students.
- I pray for him to have confidence to make new friends.
- I pray he has the courage to try new things and learn from his mistakes.
- I pray he experiences joy in learning.
- I pray he is diligent in his work and has the desire to focus.
- I pray he is obedient to his teacher and others in authority.
- I pray he is able to discern what is of the Lord and what is not of the Lord and that he has the will to choose what is right.
- I pray that he glorifies the Lord in his words, actions, and thoughts.
- I pray that he sees those who are scared, lonely, or sad and encourages them.
- I pray that he is kind to others and that others are kind to him.
- I pray that he knows his identity in the Lord and is not concerned about what others think of him.
- I pray he stands up for those who are being bullied.
- I pray he respects and appreciates others and their cultures, beliefs, and traditions.
- I pray that he remains enthusiastic in his faith and that his belief never wavers.
- I pray that he senses the presence of the Lord with him throughout the day.
- I pray that he puts on the full Armor of God each morning: the belt of truth, the chest plate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit (from Ephesians 6:10-20).
In addition to these prayers for my son, I pray daily for the school, for the other students, and for the administration and staff. I don’t have a specific prayer memorized and there are mornings when I forget to include a couple of these in my prayer. However, I know that it gives me peace to have these words in my heart throughout the morning as my son is at school. And I trust that these words will be imprinted on my son’s heart as he hears them repeatedly.
There are so many other things we can be specifically praying over our children for. Let me know if there’s a prayer you include for your children.
For all of you who will be sending your children back to school in the coming days and weeks, please know my prayers are with you and your kids. No matter if your children attend private, public, or homeschool, let’s cover them and those around them throughout the year! They may not be in our hands during the school day, but we can take heart knowing that they are always in the precious hands of our Father!
Let’s raise His mighty warriors TOGETHER!
Raising Mighty Warriors 