Hey friends!
Has school started in your neck of the woods yet? Our 4 kids have less than two weeks before they'll be back to the books. (And after this week, I am ready. We've had 4 sleepovers ~ and I now have a house full of overtired, cranky kids and one exhausted mama!). The Back to School Countdown has officially begun!!!
Today I'm thrilled to feature Carla McDougal as she reminds us of one of the priority ways to get ready for Back to School....Pray!! Here's Carla....
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. Deuteronomy 6:5,7
Excitement’s in the air! Anticipation rises. It’s that time of year when the kids go back to school.
Who can forget watching your child go to "big school" for the first time? I remember those bittersweet moments as each of my four children kissed me good-bye. I always knew that day would arrive, but nothing prepared me for the moment.
Elementary school seemed to fly by and almost overnight they were in junior high and then high school. And in a blink of an eye, they were off to college. Where did the years go?
I learned early on that when my children were away from home, praying for them comforted me. By turning them over to God I experienced a calm peace. Year after year my prayers intensified, yet remained the same…
* Elementary School – Will he make a friend? Will he eat all his lunch, or just the cookies and chips? God help him to love You with all his heart.
* Junior/Senior High –Will he make the right friends? Is he paying attention to the teacher? God, help him love You with all his soul.
* College - Will he make some forever friends? Is he making the right life decisions? God, help him to love You with all his strength.
Just as our children face challenges, we as moms face our own set of challenges…
* To pray over our children no matter where they are in life.
* To be on our knees for those God entrusted to us.
* To ultimately pray for each child to love Jesus with all his heart, soul, and mind!
* Finally, to let them know we are praying for them each day! What a blessing it is to pray for our children.
I ask you to take advantage of this new season too. Do you need a fresh start? Where are you in your relationship with God? In my Bible study, Reflecting Him – Living for Jesus and Loving It, I encourage you to find Jesus in your everyday activities. He is there for us 24 hours a day, and He wants to hear our everyday prayers! ~ Carla
CARLA MCDOUGAL is founder of Reflective Life Ministries headquartered in the Houston, Texas area. Her true passion for her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, shines brightly, whether she is speaking or writing. She shares experiences from her own life to encourage women to live every day for Him. God is sending Carla around the world to speak to women from all walks of life—those living in the best of circumstances to those who have hit rock bottom.
Carla’s book, Reflecting Him: Living for Jesus and Loving It, is a 10-week study that encourages you to open your eyes to God’s daily life lessons. The more you ask God to be in your life, the more you will recognize His hand on everything you do. For more information on a growing number of products from Reflective Life Ministries, and to see about booking Carla for an event or interview, go to www.reflectivelifeministries.org.
What a powerful Word, Carla! Thanks for sharing!
And I'd love to hear from you, dear friends! How do you prepare for Back to School? Any prayer tips you've learned along the way? Share with us please!
Have a wonderful, refreshing weekend! I thank God for you!
P.S.S. For more Caffeinated Randomness, head over to visit Michelle and friends. You'll be glad you did!
5 comments:
we are back in! kids started on tuesday, and i am exhausted, but very happy. i have a great (big) group of awesome kids. somthing that might encourage you moms who entrust your children to us at school is that there are teachers and administrators and assistants and custodians and secretaries who pray for your dear ones! as long as christians are working in schools, god is there. we might not get to pray aloud or read scripture to them, but HE IS THERE! i love knowing that parents are home praying, too. don't forget, in your prayers, to remember these who have been called to serve in schools.
The kids start on Monday!
We've been praying every night before bed and I find it brings them such comfort for me to be speaking prayers over them out loud.
oh, and I can so relate to the elementary prayer about eating lunch!
Cindy,
Thank you so much for posting my article on your blog. Wow, time goes so quickly! Today our 3rd son left for college. What a bitter-sweet time for a family. All day I was praying for him to draw nearer to the Lord these next four years. I the Deut verse kept coming to my mind.
If any are interested there is more good real life stories in my Bible Study - Reflecting Him. You can check out the website for more information www.reflectivelifeministries.org
From My Heart to Yours,
Carla McDougal
Author of Reflecting Him
I'm at the beginning of my journey (a young 5 kindergartener and a 1st grader!) Thank you so much for this reminder to pray over them everyday and to let them know we are praying for them!
Cindy, thank you for sharing that wonderful post. It was a great reminder of what I should be doing instead of worrying about things I have no control over. This next week I'll be on my "knees" talking to Abba about school and trusting in Him that the kids will adjust and excel.
By the way, I'm exhausted too and can't wait until school starts.
Thanks for linking up this week. :)
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