Here We Go Again!


For weeks now, while local stores have been shifting their inventory from summer to fall clothing and décor, commercials on TV and online ads have also been eager to share the deals they offer on various back to school items.  Perhaps you have also seen friends from southern states posting pictures of their kids proudly holding chalkboards and letterboards displaying, “First day of ___ Grade.”  This week Loudoun County students will join their ranks for the 2018-2019 school year. 

As a student and then as a teacher, a new school year was always equal parts stressful and exciting.  New clothes and school supplies can do a lot to somewhat ease the tension of busy school and sports schedules and getting back into the routine of picking out outfits and making lunches before you finally crash each evening.  I loved having a new beginning each year as a teacher.  It gave me an opportunity to get reorganized, try new ideas, and hopefully, come back in mid-August more refreshed than when I left in June.  But new beginnings also come with unknowns; during my eight years at Potomac Falls High School, I taught nine different math courses and worked with three different principals and countless new coworkers.  That’s quite a bit of change and uncertainty in just a few years.

Fortunately, we have examples in God’s Word of people who faced huge unknowns in their own lives and the promises God gave them in the process.  Several thousand years ago, God called Abraham to obey Him by leaving everything that was familiar:

The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
 ‘I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing
I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.’”

I’m sure there were many times throughout Abraham’s life that he felt anxious about the unknowns that lay ahead, but he rested in the promises God had made to Him.  Whether you’re a teacher, student, or parent, a new school year will always hold some unknowns.  But there’s also something nice (at least for me) about getting back into a routine. 

Change is unavoidable in this life.  But we have an unchanging God whose promises are faithful.  Throughout Scripture, God is described as rock and a fortress (Psalm 62:5), a stronghold (Psalm 59:16), a sure foundation (Isaiah 33:6), and an anchor (Hebrews 6:19).  I love those descriptions!  When everything else in my life feels like shifting sand or that it’s moving too quickly, I cling to my secure God.  And though my faith may waiver at times, my God does not.

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