The ‘Simpler School Day’ Finale: What We Can’t Send Our Kids To School Without! (PLUS A FREE PRINTABLE)

It won’t be long before they take Him out completely.  God, that is.  Detrimentally, He is being removed from our schools at a pace faster than we can react.  This is scary to me.   However, the truth is that they may be able to take Him off of walls and out of books, but they cannot take Him out of our children.  In fact, as sad as this is, some of our kids’ peers and even the adults they see on the daily basis, may only have experiences with ‘God’ through their interactions with our children.  This leaves us with a great obligation- how can we keep God in our schools and share His love inside those walls in a way that accurately represents Him and yet is still real and personal to our kids?  I came up with the following.

My final ‘Simpler School Day’ tip is called:

Simple Showings-

Showing God’s Still In Our Schools: Because They Can’t Take Him Out Of Our Children!

1.         Encourage your kids to practice love in action.

o   Have them pick a classmate that they feel is in need of ‘something’ extra- The need can be friendship, attention, or even just conversation and then have them follow-up on that need by taking action.

o   They can share a favorite snack, a kind note or even a beloved toy from home that would surely make that classmate feel extra special.

This practice will help them learn how to see through the eyes of Jesus as well as understand how to demonstrate His ability to love, even when it’s uncomfortable.  This may inadvertently touch the other kiddos heart for Christ in a way he/she has never experienced.

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18

2.         Encourage your kids to love being last. (With balance of course.)

o   Challenge them once a week to give up their place in line, their favorite seat, or even the option of going first while playing a game and instead offer these things to another classmate.

This practice will help them understand the humility of Jesus and His actions while on Earth, as well as demonstrate this now-a-days peculiar behavior to their peers.  It could be trend setting.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves. Philippians 2:3

3.         Encourage your kids to bring joy and reassurance to their teachers.

o   Have them tell their teacher at the end of the week what their favorite lesson was for the week and why.  They can thank their teacher and even tell him/her how they are going to apply this lesson to their own lives.

o   Have them bring a handwritten note or a special handmade gift to school once a week or so thanking the teacher for something that they REALLY felt grateful for.  Maybe it was a fun lesson, a kind word or something special that the teacher did uniquely just for your child.

This practice will help them understand how to respect authority and understand why it is so important to God for them to do so.

 

Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. Romans 13:1

4.        Finally, pray with your kids.

o   Pray with your kids before the school day and ask the Lord to bless teachers, staff and students.  Ask the Lord to give your children opportunities to demonstrate His love and grace so that they may be a blessing to others.

o   After school, ask your kids if there was anyone they thought needed prayer that day.  If there was, what made them think so?

o   Then pray with them in the evening.  Ask them what they were most thankful for that day and what they think would be most important to pray for in the day to follow.  It will be a blessing to show your kids how the Lord answers prayer throughout the school year.

This practice will help them understand communication with the Lord as well as develop in them an ability to trust Him as they see Him work through prayer.  They will share this ‘help’ method with their classmates at some point, especially as they grow more confident in Him and His abilities.

Never stop praying.  1 Thessalonians5:17

There are so many ways our children can keep Christ in schools.  The above are a just a few, but the list could go on forever.  I pray that we see and hold tightly onto the value that our testimony is to our kids.  If we live at home in a way that misrepresents who Jesus really is, then our kids will not only struggle to believe in Him, they will also never bring Him to school.  Our part of this is just as important as theirs.  

Remember- They can take Him out of buildings and books,

but they can’t take Him out of our children!

I DID NOT FORGET!  I put together a FREE PRINTABLE!  Use this SUPER CONVENIENT ‘Simple Stick-up’ for your fridge.  Print it once on Sunday and then use it all week long. This worksheet will help you keep notes on your Simple Solitude time with the Lord, plan meals for everyday of the week, jot down ideas on how the kids can bring Christ to school daily and finally, keep track of any mom must-do’s that pop up along the way.  If you need suggestions on any of the above check out my posts from Week 1 and Week 2 of this ‘Simpler School Day’ series.  Lastly, if you can think of any additional ways our kids can share Christ at school, please share them here- the need is real friends and we’re all in this together.  Any thoughts or suggestions would sure be a blessing to us all!  Until next time, be blessed!

(IF 'FREE PRINTABLE' LINK DOES NOT WORK I HAVE INCLUDED A PICTURE YOU CAN PRINT OUT HERE: PRINT AT 8 1/2 X 11 SIZE AND STICK IT TO YOUR FRIDGE!