School= The Greatest Mission Field

The 1st full day of school is tomorrow.  I think I'm in denial that summer is over (or even that it existed).  I get a little sad about them being away all day; however, when I read the following message, I felt comfort.  A friend of mine, Laura Holaway, who I had the privilege of collaborative teaching with a few years ago, wrote these encouraging words about sending our children to school- the greatest Mission Field!  I hope as you read this, you find that same comfort I did, as well as a challenge to encourage our children to be a Christian light and "shine"!  (I am singing "This Little Light of Mine, I'm Gonna Let it Shine" in my head right now!)

"In my current job as a supervisor, mentor and coach for pre-service and classroom teachers, I spend time in countless classrooms, throughout numerous schools, public and private, across various counties. On the surface they can all look quite unique, however, at the core they are all the same. They all consist of principals, teachers, students, parents etc. I have found that there is no perfect school, no perfect teacher, no perfect curriculum, no perfect student, no perfect parent and no perfect principal. While the educational system is far from perfect, there is ONE perfect presence within our schools. Our omnipresent, perfect God is present in every school whether we realize it or not. In fact, HE was there this morning holding the hands of parents and children alike as they walked into school for the first time today. When mom and dad had to say good-bye at the classroom door, God remained by your child's side and is there still as I type. As you drove away from the school building with an empty carseat, God, himself was filling it with His presence. Though you may fill an empty space in your home now that school has started back, take comfort in knowing that God has the capacity to fill it. As you embark on the school year and are forced to let go of your child during the hours of 8am-3pm, hold on to the hope that you are not letting go, but that you are letting God...letting God lead your little one into one of the greatest MISSION FIELDS, our SCHOOLS. You are letting God reveal himself and his presence to your child in the wake of your absence. You are letting God show his limitlessness, where your presence and control is now limited. As the school year beings, let your little Christian light go into the world and shine. Encourage them to look for God in school. Use this year as an opportunity to grow their faith AND yours as well. They may be the smallest in God's army, but they can be the greatest...(David and Goliath). I encourage you to listen to Chris Tomlin's song: Whom Shall I Fear. Blessings for this school year! Change is never easy, but to grow, we must change. At least God remains the same today, tomorrow and always."  Laura Holaway