School May Be Shaky, but God is a Sure Foundation
After months of uncertainty, we long for normalcy and stability. But this school year is anything but normal. Maybe you’re homeschooling for the first time, or managing more distance-learning, or navigating a hybrid situation. Maybe your schooling is back to five full days in the classroom, but from the moment your child climbs into that socially distant bus to the moment they come home, everything at school has changed, and you’re seeing the effects in their home life. No matter what school will look like for your children this fall, you’re likely more concerned about your children’s health or the health of your family or community than you have been in the past.
When school circumstances feel shaky, you can still ground yourself on the sure foundation of our unshakeable God. Here are 5 truths to stabilize your heart this school year:
1. You can’t mess up God's plan.
If school has gotten off to a less-than-ideal start and you don’t know whether you made the best decision, remember that you follow a God who is all-knowing. The God who laid the foundations of this world and uniquely formed each of your children will not have his plans thwarted by your decisions. "Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them" (Ps. 139:16).
2. You won’t ruin your kids' lives.
If your kids are struggling with their school situation this year, don’t assume that’s a bad thing. God uses hard circumstances to grow character in your children. Trust his love for them and his infallible plans when your own ability to make a perfect decision feels limited. "It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes" (Ps. 119:71).
3. Changing course is an opportunity to demonstrate humble decision-making to your children.
If you set out on one course for schooling this year, but later need to revise or even reverse your earlier decision, you haven’t failed at discernment. God is in control of all circumstances, even when they require an unexpected pivot. It is good for your children to see the humility modeled in reconsidering your decision based upon new information or God's gentle leading. "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps" (Prov. 16:9).
4. God provides the necessary grace for your current and future circumstances.
If you feel completely overwhelmed by the extra work created by your new schooling plans, God has the ability to equip you. God is not surprised by this hard season. COVID-19 is not uncertain to him. He began preparing you for these present schooling circumstances long before the pandemic became a part of your life. He will sustain you even when what is asked of you feels far beyond your abilities. "And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19).
5. Good decisions flow from trust, not fear.
If you’re already experiencing another round of decision-making about your schooling, pursue the wisdom of God. When every decision becomes a matter of balancing health and safety with other more practical needs of your family, certainty can feel impossible and fear abounds. Even as you strive to make complicated and well-informed decisions, remember that God still reigns over the universe. So do your research, then seek the Lord’s wisdom, pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and experience the peace that comes from knowing you are a child of God. Beyond all the internet searches, seek to know God, for "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight" (Prov. 9:10).
As a child I learned to walk on a balance beam by staring straight ahead at a spot on the wall. In a world full of people who feel off-balance, the only way to maintain your balance is to focus on an immovable object. Thankfully, you have a God who never changes. He is “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8). Set your mind and heart on him, and you will stand firm no matter how the world is quaking around you.
