Mother first day of school prayer

August 29, 2010

Well I can’t believe it’s here. I am having flashbacks of my time with them as newborns. 

Carrying them on each arm, only 5 pounds a piece, 

down the hallway to swaddle them together for their morning nap. 

Honestly, some of those days seemed like they would never end. 

But God certainly has a way of only allowing my mind to remember the good moments 

and somehow the difficult ones have slipped away. 

People always stopped me to tell me time would fly…and it did. 

It actually still does; and they still stop me to share that true piece of wisdom. 

Our boys have had a great few days at school and now it’s the girls turn. 

They have been together since the beginning. 

The miracles we prayed for.

As playmates in my womb, they were twirling and interacting since day one. 

They have rarely been apart and really do consider each other 

to be their best friend. (except at 5:30 when they are tired and hungry and waiting on dinner)

But they are ready….and it’s time. 

Different classes, different teachers, different friends. 

But I am told tonight by one as I tuck her in, 

that she plans to ask the teacher 

if she is allowed to hug her sister in the hallway if she sees her. 

Tug at my heart.

Earlier today we celebrated William’s belated birthday party 

and the girls did the climbing wall while we waited. 

I watched Sarah Grace help Charlotte by lifting her up just enough 

to get to the next level where she could then begin to climb successfully on her own. 

I hope they will continue to lift and support one another in this way through school and through life. 

I was searching for a prayer I could pray over them 

for their first day and this is what I found….not sure who the author is.

Hope all you mothers out there enjoy this too and blessings to all our children 

as they begin this new and exciting chapter. 

Ok, now I am off to use my new GOD BLESS YOUs! sniff-sniff!

xoxo,

C

P.S. We just checked on the sleeping children as we always do this time of night. 

Earlier tonight, we laid the clothes out for the first day of school on the end of their beds. 

Sarah Grace must have changed into her dress after we closed the door. 

She is asleep in her first day of school clothes. Told you they were ready!

A Mom’s Prayer On the First Day of School

Here we are again, Lord. 

Their backpacks are loaded and their faces are scrubbed 

and their lunch cards are full.

And I know you’ll walk with them, Lord. You always do. 

But a mom still has to ask.

Will You walk with them? 

Will You whisper to them what they need to hear,

 when I’m not there to whisper it?

Will You please, oh please, cover their school with the protection only 

You can give, and will You keep harm far away?

Will You make their minds strong and ready to learn? 

Will You help them understand that hard work 

honors the One who created them?

Will You guide their teachers, giving them patience and 

wisdom and creativity and more patience? 

Will You bless them for their efforts?

Will You love all those children there,

the ones whose lunch accounts aren’t full,

the ones who feel alone? 

Will You teach my children to be kind and unselfish 

and to love those who are different from them?

Will You point them back toward home just as soon as you can?

Lord, I give them to You today and everyday, trusting them to Your care.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

This post is in: Family Life, Seeing God at Work

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It’s that time of year where new clothes are purchased and organized  supplies are awaiting the big event; the first day of school.

Whether you or not you are sad to see the summer come to a close, a new school year is upon us all.

It’s a fresh slate and a time of new opportunities.

As a parent of two children heading to school, I am especially sensitive of this experience and am looking for ways to ease the transition for us all.

But before I do anything else, I am committing to pray every day starting August 1st for my children’s new school year.

Will you join me for 30 days of prayer for your child and the new school year?

So get your tissues ready {or maybe I am the only one who is teary in sending the kids off to school}, and hit your knees. Let’s dedicate 30 days to pray for the new school year.

Day 1- Spiritually

Pray that your child will understand the Gospel and learn to apply biblical principles to every aspect of life.

Day 2- Relationship to the teacher

Pray that your child will develop a deep respect and appreciation for his/her teacher and will act respectful of all authority figures.

Day 3- Relationship to peers

Pray that your child will develop a close bond with his peers and that he/she will choose friends wisely.

Day 4- Wisdom

Pray that your child will develop the ability to discern right from wrong and put it into practice on a daily basis.

Day 5- Conviction

Pray that your child will be convicted by sin and be found out when he/she does wrong.

Day 6- Honesty

Pray that your child will desire to be honest, even when it’s hard or when he/she gets into trouble.

Day 7- Kindness

Pray that your child will treat others with kindness, even when it is not popular.

Day 8- Compassion

Pray that your child will be compassionate, and show the love of Jesus to those who are hurting.

Day 9- Being a servant

Pray that your child learns to be a servant and sees the beauty of being the hands and feet of Jesus.

Day 10- Humility

Pray that your child learns to be humble and not to brag about his/her success.

Day 11- Desire to learn

Pray that your child will develop a love of learning and desire to be a life-long learner.

Day 12- Strongest subject

Pray that your child will be challenged in his/her strongest subject and will be pushed out of his/her comfort zone.

Day 13- Weakest subject

Pray that your child will make progress and tremendous growth in an area of weakness.

Day 14- Confident learner

Pray that your child will be confident in his/her abilities as a student.

Day 15- Learning issues exposed

Pray that any learning issues or suspected weakness will be brought to light.

Day 16- Emotional growth

Pray that your child will mature in emotional stability and be comforted as their faith deepens in understanding.

Day 17- Sensitivity

Pray that your child will have a tender spirit and be will to help those in need.

Day 18- Evangelical spirit

Pray that your child will be excited to share the message of Jesus, no matter the cost.

Day 19- Become a good listener

Pray that God will open the ears of your child to hear the teacher and an open heart to listen to others.

Day 20- Self-control

Pray that your child will learn self-control and have the discipline to use it in even the toughest of situations.

Day 21- Think before speaking

Pray that your child will learn to guard their tongue and to think about words before speaking aloud.

Day 22- Guarded mind

Pray that your child will have a guarded mind and thoughts of the Lord will be planted, and not be easily uprooted.

Day 23- Softened heart

Pray that your child has a softened heart towards the gospel and will hear the good news with open ears.

Day 24- Quick to forgive

Pray that your child will be quick to extend grace when a wrong has been done to him/her.

Day 25- Slow to anger

Pray that your child will have a long fuse and not anger easily.

Day 26- Joy

Pray that your child will experience the joy of the Lord and not look for happiness in the things of the world.

Day 27- Strength

Pray that your child will have the strength to do what is right and do grow in physical strength as well.

Day 28- Safety

Pray that your child will be safe in sports, and on the playground.

Day 29- Protection

Pray that God will protect your child from harm’s way.

Day 30- Balance

Pray that your child will learn to balance responsibilities in school, home, and life with God’s help and strength.

Grab a printable copy of the 30 Days of Prayer for the new School Year FREE for subscribers to Faith Along the Way!

Mom’s Back-to-School Printable pack is exclusively for subscribers, and will be e-mailed to you in a welcome e-mail. Be sure to check your spam box if you don’t see it right away!

How do you prepare your children for back-to-school?  What are your prayers for your children as they start a new year?

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About Sarah Ann

Welcome to Faith Along the Way! I am a redeemed child of God and perfectly imperfect in every area of my life. Wife to Hubs, we’ve battled the storms of Cancer, infertility, adoption & Autism together the past 10 years and praise God for his continued guidance. I hope you’ll join us on this journey through life as we trust God with faith along the way.

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Dear God,

I have three kids and today they all went to school, the smallest one for the very first time. You already know that, though, because you’re omniscient. Now that the big yellow bus has consumed my children, I’m sitting here alone in a quiet house, trying to distract myself with work and Facebook. It’s sort of working, except for the fact that my stupid eyes keep leaking.

God, I really wish I was one of the moms skipping back from the bus stop humming “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” I thought when this time finally came, I would be. But I don’t feel like celebrating. There was no skipping home. I spent the whole time trying not to ugly cry in front of my neighbors, so I just kept making a weird face and sniffling.

I need to ask you for some things for this coming school year, because while my kids are ready for it — I’m not. My husband is being sweet and supportive and keeps telling me how great everything is going to be, but I can’t help being a little sad about the fact that my babies are now big kids. I love them so much and they’re out there in the world now. I can’t protect them and I’m trying not to freak out about that.

Please God, keep them safe from the following:

• Mean kids who might single them out.
• Feeling all alone on the playground (once in a while is OK, but please not every day).
• Having a teacher who doesn’t like them and makes them feel bad about themselves.
• Any virus that causes vomiting.
• Crazy people with guns.
• Classmates who like to experiment with things they’re not actually ready for.
• Bus accidents.
• Head lice.
• Not making it to the bathroom on time.
• Serial sex offenders who somehow managed to evade the school district’s stringent criminal background check policies and get a job where they have access to kids.
• Forgetting how awesome they already are and trying to be like someone else.

And please, help them to:

• Be nice to everyone, especially those people who could use some extra niceness.
• Remember their stuff because last year they forgot everything always.
• Learn how to ask for help if they don’t understand something.
• Be respectful and appreciative of their school and all the people who work there.
• Try to pay attention and not stare at a spot on the wall for 40 minutes when they get bored.
• Care about learning. Their teachers and their dad and I can do a lot, but we can’t make them care.
• Tell me about their days and what’s going on, especially the boy. Based on what he told me last year, if I didn’t watch him get on the bus in the morning and get off the bus in the afternoon, I wouldn’t even know he went to school.
• Try hard and have a good attitude. We care a lot more about that than we do about their grades.
• Make real friends. Even if it’s only one or two. Friends who lift them up and never push them down.

That last thing? That’s a quote I stole from one of my friends. Thank you for them, by the way. They are a huge blessing and I’m grateful for them every day. They’re helping me raise these kids and they’re keeping me out of the Nervous Hospital. But you already know that.

Please keep all of our babies safe this year. Please let them feel just enough fear and embarrassment and awkwardness that it makes them funny and compassionate, but not so much that it leaves lasting scars. Please let them have some moments that are really, really awesome. When crappy things happen, help them find a lesson in it. And lastly, please don’t let them get so big this year that they no longer want to snuggle with me on the couch, because that would break my heart forever. I just need a few more years of couch snuggles and I might be able to handle high school.

Amen.

Julianna W. Miner has three kids, ages 5, 9 and 11. She teaches at a college she couldn’t have gotten into because she made bad choices in high school. Her blog is Rants from Mommyland, where this post originally appeared.

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Dear Lord,

You are in charge of all things. You have picked these teachers and classmates and I know you have it all under control.

I want to thank you for my children and for this school and for their teachers and for this community.

Please protect them. Their bodies, their hearts, and their minds.

Please let this first day, week, month and entire year go well.

Please give me a nurturing heart, so I can show my kids just how much they are loved and missed. I wont miss their fighting and whining and eating and crying and spills and even more whining and all that eating. But I’ll miss their laughing and singing and chatter and questions and creativity and playing and the excuse to leave my house a mess and go to the pool for a few hours.

Help me to balance my sadness of sending them into school without me and the jubilation I feel in leaving them at school without me.

Forgive me for the nap I will take this afternoon in light of the lengthy “to-do when the kids go back to school” list I have been making since the very first day of summer.

Please let them have a friend, make a friend, and be a friend to another child in their class. Let a friendship bloom and grow and help me to not interfere when little kids act like little kids.

Forgive them for ignoring every word that came out of my mouth since mid-July and I pray they got every ounce of disobedience and sibling rivalry out of their systems over the summer so they can concentrate, be respectful, and be kind.

Comfort the hearts of those sending their babies to school for the first time today, when it feels like part of their soul has left their side. Give them the reassurance that in three weeks, they won’t even know how they ever did it. (But until then, wipe away their sweet tears.)

Please let my children’s stomachs quickly adjust from eating every 90 minutes for the last 10 weeks to having just one lunch at 1:30 in the afternoon.

Bless the teachers and help us parents to express our gratefulness and confidence in them. Help us to advocate well for our children and be as involved as we can, without stepping on toes or acting like we know better than the ones who are the actual professional educators and administrators.

Give us all Grace to communicate well.

Thank you for another year, another bit of time passing, another summer ending and another chapter starting. (Help me not to get too hung up of the fact that this also means I’m getting older.)

Please let the North Face and Uggs uniform stay in the middle school so I can continue buying clothes from Target and shoes from Costco.

Bless these children and keep them.

Amen.

***

This post originally appeared at Spilling Over.

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