A Prayer for the School Year
Heavenly Father,
As a new school year has begun, we place our children in Your hands.
Some are walking into a classroom for the very first time, carrying a backpack that nearly reaches their knees. Others are heading into elementary school, middle school, high school, or even off to college, where we can no longer see every step they take. No matter their age, they will always be our children, and we ask You to walk beside them wherever this year leads.
Lord, protect them. Watch over them in their classrooms, on playgrounds and buses, in cafeterias and dorm rooms, on playing fields and stages, and everywhere in between. When we cannot be there to keep them safe, remind us that You are.
Help our children grow, not only in what they know, but in who they are becoming. Give them confidence to try new things, courage to speak up, compassion for others, and the strength to do what is right even when it isn't easy.
Teach us, as parents, when to hold their hands and when to loosen our grip. Help us give them opportunities to become capable and independent. Let them make mistakes, experience disappointment, solve problems, and discover just how much they can do on their own. And when they stumble, help us be close enough to catch them, encourage them, and remind them that falling or failing is often where the most growth or learning occurs.
Surround our children with good people. Give them friends who accept them for exactly who they are, but also inspire them to become better versions of themselves. May they find people who are kind when kindness isn't popular, who include rather than exclude, who celebrate their successes, and who stay beside them during their struggles. And Lord, help our children be that kind of friend to someone else.
Bless their teachers, from the preschool teacher welcoming a tearful child at the classroom door to the professor challenging a young adult to discover what comes next. Give them patience, wisdom, energy, and the ability to ignite a spark in each and every student. Help them see beyond academics and truly know the children and young people entrusted to them. May every child have at least one teacher this year who sees something special in them and helps them see it in themselves.
And above all, Lord, help us build a foundation of faith strong enough to travel with our children wherever life takes them. When life is wonderful, may they remember to thank You. When the path is difficult, may they seek Your wisdom. When they feel lonely, afraid, disappointed, or unsure of the road ahead, may they know they can turn to You.
Remind them that they never have to have everything figured out. You are already there. You will listen. You will love them. You will guide their steps.
And when we parents worry, as we surely will, remind us of that same truth.
Our children are growing. They are becoming the people that God created them to be. They are learning to step into a world that needs their gifts, their kindness, their courage, and their faith.
Give us the grace to cheer them on, the wisdom to guide them, the courage to let them go a little at a time, and the faith to trust that wherever they go, You go with them.
Bless our children, their teachers, their schools, and all the families beginning another year.
May this be a year of learning, growing, laughing, loving, belonging and, most importantly walking with You.
Amen
- Miss Patty Schiewe, Good Shepherd Lutheran Preschool Director
As a new school year has begun, we place our children in Your hands.
Some are walking into a classroom for the very first time, carrying a backpack that nearly reaches their knees. Others are heading into elementary school, middle school, high school, or even off to college, where we can no longer see every step they take. No matter their age, they will always be our children, and we ask You to walk beside them wherever this year leads.
Lord, protect them. Watch over them in their classrooms, on playgrounds and buses, in cafeterias and dorm rooms, on playing fields and stages, and everywhere in between. When we cannot be there to keep them safe, remind us that You are.
Help our children grow, not only in what they know, but in who they are becoming. Give them confidence to try new things, courage to speak up, compassion for others, and the strength to do what is right even when it isn't easy.
Teach us, as parents, when to hold their hands and when to loosen our grip. Help us give them opportunities to become capable and independent. Let them make mistakes, experience disappointment, solve problems, and discover just how much they can do on their own. And when they stumble, help us be close enough to catch them, encourage them, and remind them that falling or failing is often where the most growth or learning occurs.
Surround our children with good people. Give them friends who accept them for exactly who they are, but also inspire them to become better versions of themselves. May they find people who are kind when kindness isn't popular, who include rather than exclude, who celebrate their successes, and who stay beside them during their struggles. And Lord, help our children be that kind of friend to someone else.
Bless their teachers, from the preschool teacher welcoming a tearful child at the classroom door to the professor challenging a young adult to discover what comes next. Give them patience, wisdom, energy, and the ability to ignite a spark in each and every student. Help them see beyond academics and truly know the children and young people entrusted to them. May every child have at least one teacher this year who sees something special in them and helps them see it in themselves.
And above all, Lord, help us build a foundation of faith strong enough to travel with our children wherever life takes them. When life is wonderful, may they remember to thank You. When the path is difficult, may they seek Your wisdom. When they feel lonely, afraid, disappointed, or unsure of the road ahead, may they know they can turn to You.
Remind them that they never have to have everything figured out. You are already there. You will listen. You will love them. You will guide their steps.
And when we parents worry, as we surely will, remind us of that same truth.
Our children are growing. They are becoming the people that God created them to be. They are learning to step into a world that needs their gifts, their kindness, their courage, and their faith.
Give us the grace to cheer them on, the wisdom to guide them, the courage to let them go a little at a time, and the faith to trust that wherever they go, You go with them.
Bless our children, their teachers, their schools, and all the families beginning another year.
May this be a year of learning, growing, laughing, loving, belonging and, most importantly walking with You.
Amen
- Miss Patty Schiewe, Good Shepherd Lutheran Preschool Director