Three Ways to Prepare for a New School Year

In just a couple of weeks, you’ll be back in the halls of your local school. I know. I just depressed most of you. Sorry. Your late night Netflix binge watching and sleeping in until 11 am is coming to an end very soon. Some of you are fully aware that school is coming because practice for fall sports is underway and band camp is beginning. Some of you are still hiding under the covers.  At 2 pm.

There are a lot of emotions and thoughts about the start of a new school year.  Fear. Excitement. Worry. Hope. Anxiety. Complete and utter apathy. No matter where your emotions are as you read this, here are a few thoughts on how to prepare for the upcoming year.

1. Pray.  Geez, Mel. The churchy answer right off the bat. True. It often is the churchy answer to pray but it’s true. Pray for the year ahead. Pray that you will grow – not just in wisdom but in the likeness of Jesus. Pray for your teachers and coaches. Pray for friends – old and new. Pray for your enemies or for those that have hurt you. More important then preparing your school supplies is preparing your heart and prayer is the way to prepare.

2. Trust. Learning to trust God is one of the most important lessons you can learn. Do you trust that God loves you extravagantly and regardless of your successes or failures?  The best thing you can do for your present and your future is trust God’s love for you. As you prepare for all the pressures, stress, and struggles that are a part of school, sports, and friends, find a way to remind yourself throughout the day that God loves you and He is worthy of following completely. Build your foundation on God and no storms will destroy you. He is the one and only constant.

3. Decide. Decide now who you want to be and how you want to act towards others – regardless of their choices. You can’t control others. You can only control yourself. What kind of friend do you want to be? What kind of student or athlete do you want to be? What kind of son or daughter; brother or sister do you want to be? What kind of Christ follower do you want to be? You won’t be any of these things perfectly but, if you never decide for yourself who you want to be, then your more likely to become someone you don’t want to be. Decide now who God wants you to be and commit to becoming that person more and more each day. Come up with a word or phrase that describes who you want to be and post it somewhere you’ll see every day as a reminder. 

These are just a few things to think about as a new school year begins. If you have other suggestions, leave them in the comments below.

I’m praying for each of you. I love each of you so much and am overwhelmed with joy that we get to do life together. You got this. This is your year. With God, you cannot fail because He is always enough. May you come to believe and experience that this year. 

Friends are family,
Mel