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It is that time of year when the center aisle of your local store is crowded with school supplies.  When I was a child I always thought it cruel to remind children that school is coming.  And now it seems that they begin this cruelty in the middle of July instead of even waiting until August.  As a parent I view things a little differently.  I thought it would be good to remind us of a few things that we can do as parents to prepare our children for school.

#1 Remind them through word and deed that Jesus comes first.

Your child is uniquely gifted by God to serve Him.  That is their number one goal.  We need to remind them of this on a regular basis.  Good grades are certainly important, but they are not the be-all-end-all of the school experience.  Extra-curricular activities can be very beneficial, but they are not the goal of the school experience.  Even learning is not the main goal of the educational experience for the follower of Jesus Christ, it is to bring honor and glory to God.

"Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." Colossians 3:17 (NASB)

Jesus must come first.

#2 Remind them that their value is in their being created in the image of God.

Your child will be tempted to find value in their friends opinions. You child will be tempted to find value in what the media bombards them with.  Your child will be tempted to find value in many different places, and it is our job and joy to remind them that they are valuable simply because they are created in God's image, loved by the Almighty and chosen by God to serve.  This will aid them greatly in their endeavors.

#3 Remind them to be unique (in the biblical sense) rather than focus on being different.

"Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.  Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation."  1 Peter 2:11-12 (NASB)

We are a unique people, chosen by God to bring Him glory.  Thus the world will have questions, they may persecute us, they may cause us harm.  Our responsibility in this is to do good deeds and show that we are unique.

Basically, remind them they are here for the glory of God and not for anything else!  My prayer is that your children will have a blessed school year and that God will truly use them for His honor and glory!