Our children have just begun a new year at a new school. We have been blessed to have had our children in a wonderful school through the years and are truly thankful that the Lord continues to provide that opportunity for our family. Across the country this is the time when schools resume – elementary, middle school, high school, and college students are beginning the next step of their education.

As a teacher for many years, I always enjoyed walking into a classroom filled with new students and new possibilities. As a parent, I want my children to make the most of their opportunity. If you are a Christian, this school year should be dedicated to Christ. Whether enrolled in a public school, private school, church school, or homeschooled – young people and their families should work to make this the greatest year yet.

For a believer, every part of life is connected to the spiritual life. When Christ is preeminent in our hearts and homes it will be evident in our schools.

1. Begin every day with prayer. Parents should pray over their kids. Students should walk into school with the prayers of their parents in their ears. They should be challenged to pray themselves each morning and throughout the day. Teachers should bathe their instruction in prayer.
2. Make school a family affair. I remember my dad driving us to school each morning, and mom always waiting in line to pick us up. The older I get the more those seemingly routine moments mean to me. Parents may not always be the mode of transportation, but they should always be engaged in conversation. Talk about school as a family. Know what’s going on with your children. Encourage and offer support.
3. Carry the Word of God in your hand and your heart. Young people should carry a copy of the Scriptures with them to school. Just this identifying with the Lord in this way will help to strengthen them! More importantly, the truth of God’s Word should be hidden in their hearts. Adopt a verse for the week. Memorize it together as a family. Quote it on your way to school. Allow the promises and principles of the Bible to guide each day.
4. Pay more attention to friends than functions. Someone once said, “You either are now or you soon will be what your friends are.” School days are busy, filled with academics, athletics, and activities. Yet the most powerful influence in the life of a student is not the classroom or the coach; it is their friends. Students should seek to establish a right testimony early in the year. “Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right” (Prov. 20:11). You do not get what you want – you get what you are. We must help our kids understand the importance of building a testimony and encourage them to develop friendships with godly people.

As I write these words I am speaking at a wonderful Christian school in Ohio. There is a spirit of expectancy about the new year. We will not pass this way again! Make the most of the year by giving it to God…one day at a time. He can do more with it than He can!