Good Bye Summer, Hello School Year!

Yesterday was the first day of school for our sons.

Yesterday was also the first time in 11 years that I didn’t drive them to school, take photos of them in front of the school,  and visit with other moms.

Yesterday, our 16-year-old son drove himself and his brother to school.

Yesterday, after they drove away, I walked into the house, hugged my husband, and shed a few tears.

In a blink of an eye, we had a junior and a freshman in high school.

No longer are they elementary students, where homework is easy. A nightly page of math, 15 spelling words, and a Bible verse were all that we had to handle.

Now we are dealing with AP, Honors, Dual Credit, and online classes.

While I miss those days of elementary school,  I love the “now” that we are currently living. I have come to realize that the Lord has given Craig and me the boys for just a short amount of time. We are to raise them to be God-honoring, God-fearing men. In a world where it’s “all about me,” we are trying to build them up to be humble and kind (cue the Tim McGraw song!) Are we perfect? Absolutely not! I have failed as a mom more times than I can count, but if Craig and I can instill in Grant and Connor to always turn to the Lord first, before anything, we will be successful parents.

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 ESV

One of the best-known verses of the Bible is Proverbs 22:6. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, states this about training. “The verb translated “train.” Ḥānaḵ seems to include the idea of setting aside, narrowing or hedging in. The word is sometimes used in the sense of “start.” Child-training involves “narrowing” a child’s conduct away from evil and toward godliness and starting him in the right direction.”*

We are to steer our children in the right direction. That sounds easy enough, doesn’t it?

But it’s not.

How am I to steer my children in the right direction, when there are days when I don’t steer myself in the right direction?

Those are the days when I rely on the Lord himself. A simple, “Lord, guide me in your ways!”- and a swift kick from the Holy Spirit – usually gets me back on track.

Parenting isn’t easy. It has never been, and it never will be. Watching our teenagers make the wrong choice is heart-wrenching, but it’s necessary for them to grow into godly men.

For me, as a mother, there is no greater joy than when I see my boys making good choices, helping others, and letting the light of Christ shine through them.

I will be praying for you and your children this school year. At times, it’s going to be rough – there may even be tears – but we will get through it with the Lord’s help and some Chick-Fil-A sweet tea!

August 22, 2007 – Grant, (5) Kindergarten and Connor, (3) PreK3

*Buzzell, S. S. (1985). Proverbs. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 953). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

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