My son, Bradley, went to Youth Camp last week. It was so great to hear from Bradley and all those who went, what a great week they had. I heard stories about eating 100-year-old eggs and getting ice cream and chocolate syrup poured all over you, and that was from our Youth Pastor. I’m sure our kids got into even more fun stuff. I’m scared to ask.

I am so thankful for all the adults who sacrificed their week and invested into our kids. New friendships were formed. Life decisions were made. God was honored, and the Holy Spirit moved in a mighty way drawing these young people closer to Him. The kids came home drenched in more than chocolate syrup. They had been soaked by a generous dousing of Living Water.

As a mom, my heart cries out, “Why can’t we just stay at this place?” Ready or not, school is about to start back. And with the new school year, come new challenges and change for our kids, new challenges and change for our entire families.

There is no question that there is a battle going on for our kids. The Lord has great plans for our kids. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Satan also has his plans for them. “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) He thinks our children are the easiest prey so he pursues them relentlessly. We have to fight to help protect them.

Things are very different from when I went to high school back in the dark ages of the 1980’s. Today, there are more temptations for our kids and bigger consequences. They are on the front lines of this battle every day. As parents, we have to work hard to help them fight back. Here are five ways we can come alongside our students to help them succeed.

1. Be involved in school. Be there when you can for their activities. Get to know their teachers and their friends. When you are able to have a relationship with others in your child’s life and understand and see what is going on at school for yourself, you can, hopefully, better understand where your child is coming from, and help them with getting back on track when they need it.
2. Read the Bible daily with them and discuss it. Perhaps the greatest verse we can teach our children to help them in school is Mark 12:30: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. We are going to make it our new theme verse for the 2016-17 school year at my house. When we love the Lord deeply and we care about His perspective, we can navigate through the hardest challenges with rock-solid confidence. That’s true for all of us.
3. Communicate with your child. I think it is safe to say that our boy is going to make mistakes and wrong choices at times, he has before. So did we when we were in high school. I hope we will always talk to him and try to hear his heart. Our goal is to nurture the life and power of Christ within him so he can stand against negative influences, and even shine God’s light in a dark place.
4. Involve them in Youth group and encourage Christian friendships. We have the greatest Youth group at our church, Blue Ridge View Baptist Church. I cannot put words to the gratitude I feel for how much Christian friends and Christian leaders have positively impacted our sons through the years. If you don’t have a church home and a Youth group for your child, find one today. It can make all the difference in helping your child handle the challenges of school during their teenage years. A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity. (Proverbs 17:17) Accountability partners walking down the halls of the school with your child are beyond priceless.
5. Pray for them. Prayer changes things. I believe this from the depths of my soul. We need to pray for protection for our children, and for courage for them to stand against the enemy. We should ask for clear discernment to help us understand what they face, and compassion to forgive and encourage them when they fail, and compassion to forgive and encourage ourselves when fail as parents because we are going to. Parenting is the world’s hardest job. It’s okay to pray for help. We are going to need it, and so are our children. We are in a battle, and we need to put the armor of God on every day. (Ephesians 6)

Dear Lord: Thank You for loving us all. Please be with our children as they start back to school. Help them to take a stand for You, to be godly leaders and not followers of this world. Protect them, guide them, give them Christian friends to help hold them accountable. Help us as their parents to nurture Your flame that burns in their hearts so that it will grow beyond them to bring light in dark places. May they grow to be the mighty men and women of God that You have planned for them to be so they bring You glory always. We will thank You in advance for all You are going to do in their lives this school year and beyond. Amen

Thank you for reading and sharing my blogpost. Please join me in praying for all the children who will be going back to school this month. If you have some encouragement to share, we would love you to reply below. May God bless you and your family.