Remembering these school memories transports me back in time to the person I was at those ages. I was exceptionally shy and intimidated by other students. I didn’t have a lot of friends. I wanted to be one of the “cool kids”, but had no idea how to do that. What memories do you have of your time at school? What was important to you? What did you worry about? How do you wish grownups had treated you?
I ask these questions to help you get into the mindset of our children going back to school in the next week or two. They have hopes, dreams, fears, and stresses just like you did at that age. The concerns of a school child may seem trivial to you or I right now, but to that child, they are the most important thing in the world.
Ministering to children—both ours and others in our community—involves doing our best to relate to them. Cell phones, video games, and other specifics might have changed things, but kids are still kids. Take some time to reflect upon who you were in those days and see if it doesn’t help you relate to and encourage our kids today!