Why We Roll Out The Red Carpet Before We Step into a New School Year
At our house, we like to roll out the red carpet before we step into a new school year.
This little family tradition began years ago when our youngest child was a wee one lingering on my hip and our oldest was a pre-teen leaping into middle school. With five kids ranging in age between 2 and 12, I felt overwhelmed by the demands beneath my roof and under equipped for the fast-approaching school year.
When, I lay in bed at the end of a long day, I found myself focusing on what I didn’t know about the new school year. I didn’t know what our kids would learn or what struggles they would face. I didn’t know what new friends they would meet or what rocky relationships they would navigate. I didn’t know how I would juggle all the schedules and activities, the homework helping and lunch packing. But then one night as I rehearsed my anxious thoughts, a simply question lodged in my mind. “Stop worrying about what you don’t know and focus on what you do know.”
I recognized that prompting as the Holy Spirit, and I began to shift my thoughts from what I couldn’t anticipate to what I could articulate. I didn’t know how the semesters ahead of us would unfold in the end, but I knew how I wanted the school year to begin.
So I invited a dozen families to join us in our backyard on the night before school began. We played games and shared laughter, swapped stories and chased children. And when the evening drew to a close, I gathered the kids in a wiggly huddle, because sometimes we need to be reminded of the truth of who we are before we embrace the thrill of where we’re going.
I opened my Bible and reminded them they were made to shine. I flashed each child a smile, then read the words of Philippians 2:14-15 aloud.
“You are God’s children called to…Shine like stars across the land.” -Philippians 2:14-15
Then, so they wouldn’t forget their identity, I stretched a strip of crimson fabric across the green grass and invited those students to take a walk down that red carpet. (‘Cause, according to Hollywood, that’s what stars do! And I believe life with Jesus demands a little gala.)
There were no reporters or paparazzi, no camera crews of spotlights, just wide smiles and giddy giggles. Kids somersaulted and twirled, cartwheeled and crawled. Parents clapped and hollered and whooped.
And when those dancing, prancing, waltzing, walking feet reached the end of that red carpet, we gathered them in a circle and covered them in prayer.
Our prayers weren’t smooth or scripted, rehearsed or polished. In fact, we stammered and stuttered, floundered and fumbled. We pushed through awkward silences and uncomfortable pauses. But one parent at a time, we gave voice to the cry of our hearts.
We asked God to guide our students’ steps and ignite their faith, to infuse them with joy and spill through them with kindness. We asked Him to grow in them humble hearts and Holy-Spirit confidence.
We prayed for our children’s teachers and classmates, their principals and coaches. And we pleaded that when all was said and done, these shining stars would not be overcome by darkness, but would carry the Light of Jesus into their schools with courage and joy.
A decade has come and gone since we first stretched that red carpet across our green-grassed yard on that long ago summer night. That baby who was perched on my hip now boasts a bigger shoe size than me. The tween-ager who was heading to junior high just graduated from college.
But even though a lot has changed, one tradition remains the same. Each August I dig a piece of crimson fabric out of a box in the basement and gather a group of families to begin the school year in prayer.
Because before life unfolds into a rhythm of homework and hustle, schedules and carpools, this mama needs to remember that we don’t send our kids back-to-school just to learn and grow, we send them to school so they can learn to glow.
“…you, beloved, are the light of the world” ( Matthew 5:14)
Soon enough there will be spelling lists to learn and math facts to memorize, books to read and papers to write, but that red carpet reminds me that we have a Savior who lay down His life blood-red like that crimson carpet in our backyard so Heaven’s light could overcome the darkness.
And He longs to usher His kingdom to earth in our homes and in our schools, in our carpool lines and our classrooms.
It’s crazy when you think about it…
How those hands that carry that Scooby Doo lunch box may be the hands that Jesus uses to help the hurting on the playground; the anxious in the classroom.
And those feet that race to recess may be the the feet that Jesus invites to walk beside the bully in the hallway or the bashful in the lunch line.
The mouth that challenges curfews and tells jokes at the dinner table may be the mouth that Christ uses to encourage the struggler on the sideline or the straggler in the gym.
And the eyes that seep sorrow at bedtime might be the eyes that Jesus uses to glance across the locker room and spy the lost in the corner, the lonely in the crowd.
God doesn’t change the world through extraordinary people. He changes the world through ordinary people ablaze with the light of an extraordinary God.
And every school year, He’s looking for some shining stars who know who they are—cherished children learning to glow one courageous step at a time.
Thanks for spending time here today! I hope you’ll be encouraged as you linger in this place. We’d love to hear about your family’s favorite back-to-school tradition. Please tell us about it in the comments if you have a moment. Or let us know how we can pray for you as we begin this new month.
If you’d like stay connected, feel free to join our community and receive encouragement in your inbox now and then. You can also find more encouragement at Proverbs 31. Today, I’m there today sharing a devotion about how to walk through uncertainty with confidence.
Until Next Time—
I love this post! What a blessing that you are coming together to pray over and celebrate your shining stars as they go out in to the world to glow.
My stepson is returning to school after doing online school since March, 2020. He did very poorly in his schoolwork, but grew a lot as a person and a helpful young man. Praying that he will learn and not just socialize on his return.
Jenn, I love the way you have seen your step son grow in important ways. Learning is so much more than schoolwork. Online schooling certainly comes with its own unique challenges! I hope your stepson enjoys the return to in-person schooling. And I’ll echo your prayer- May his year be filled with learning and growing in fresh ways.
Good Morning!
Hi Alicia, my 11 yr old son is going back to school on Tuesday. He did remote learning the first half of last year and went to in person the second half. This year he’s going in person all year and I’m scared. The school is allowing the kids to either wear a mask or no mask. I know I shouldn’t fear and I know God will be with him. Im just so afraid of him getting corona or the delta variant. He’s our only child and I don’t know what I’d do if I lost him to either of the two diseases. Please pray for peace in my heart and for the fear to disappear knowing in confidence that God will watch over and protect him. The closer it gets to Tuesday I’m a nervous wreck. Also, please pray the nervousness and fear will disappear from his heart as well. He was pretty nervous the other night at open house with all of the students, faculty members and parents crowds in the school. Thank you so much!
I am a mother of two grown children and soon-to-be 8 grandchildren! Every year we after we dropped off our children on the first day of school, mothers would unite to cover our children, their teachers and staff, and the school under God’s protection and authority. It was a time to lay out requests and hear from our Lord. I love the scarlet garment! It involves the children and gives them a beautiful and memorable vision of WHO they are in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Thank you so much! Your writings bless me every time!
Sharon, I’m smiling at your first-day-of school routine. What a gift to gather with other moms and launch into the year with prayer. And your grandchildren are blessed to have a praying grandma, too!
My son Evan starts kindergarten next week. He had a really rough start in his TK class last year. He’s really nervous and I’m a nervous wreck trying to figure it all out. We both need prayers. I’ve been doing the what I don’t know check list, instead of the what I do know. What a great shift in perspective. Thank you.
Dear Jesus, Thank you for being a God who is WITH US. Please help Evan recognize your presence beside him as he goes to kindergarten next week. Give him the gift of a friend, a spirit of joy and a covering of peace. Remind Rose of all she knows to be true of You as she launches her son into kindergarten. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
I was literally in tears this morning about all that could/might/probably happen this school year with my 10th grade son. This spoke directly to my heart. I need to focus on what I do know and not what I don’t know. I love and needed this message TODAY. PS, I love your writing style. 🙂 I messaged you a few years ago on FB about another of your posts. You hone your craft so well!
Jen, I’m glad God encouraged you through my words. May He continue to remind you and your son of His presence and His promises as you step into this new school year. And thanks for the kind words about my writing style:) I remember your FB message! So nice to connect with you here.
As a momma who wrestles with sending her kids back to school every year, THANK YOU for this reminder and sharing this beautiful tradition! I have a lot of friends who home school, so it can be easy to question the calling to send our kids to school. We moved across the country less than two years ago, and we are still trying to find our people. I am praying for community like this, to come together for our children (And realizing, maybe it starts with me). Thank you again for your encouragement!
Amy, I understand what you’re saying—ALL of it. I, too, have many friends who make different schooling choices for their families, and if I a not careful, I can begin to doubt my own family’s choices. However, I remind myself we don’t need to figure out anybody else’s path; we just need to follow God down the path He’s called us to right now. And He reserves the right to take us on detours, u-turns and to change the plans whenever He wants to. I think He has hand-picked, personalized schooling plans for all of us. There’s no “right” option- just an obedient option. So, I pray you will trust God’s plan for your kids and enjoy the path He’s asked you to walk. I also understand how difficult it can be to move and build community. We moved far from home with five kids in four schools, and it was daunting at first to build community. In fact, I didn’t host our red carpet tradition the first year after we moved because I thought people would think we were crazy! But when I found the courage to invite new families into that experience, I was awed by how God honored that uncomfortable ask.(In fact, the pics I posted are from gatherings we hosted in two different states with totally different families). I am praying with you for courage to take the first step in building an authentic and truth-filled community right where God has planted you.
Thanks!
I absolutely love the community you share with each other. Such wonderful godly support. It is so important and necessary. My children are grown and gone from home and I wished I could’ve had this for them, however, I pray even now for this support in my (our) life, as we will always need each other in the Body of Christ.
Ang, I agree! We don’t ever outgrow our need for godly support. I am echoing your prayer for a community of believers who can spur you on in hope and partner with you in prayer.
This was a beautiful story.
Thank you for the encouragement.
Please pray for my children, Calista as she starts 2nd grade and Kaden as he starts preschool. Both go to a daycare after school as well.Please pray for God to surround them with other children believers they can grow with. After we moved to another state, the pandemic started and the church we started to attend we started attending online at home, so fellowship and a community of believers and friends have been hard for all of us. But I pray the hardest for my children to find a community of believers to grow with despite.
Thank you!
We have such a similar story. Praying for you and your kiddos to build that community
Dear Jesus, we boldly ask for you to surround Calista and Kaden with friends who will nudge them toward Jesus and fan their flame of faith. Please give them a community who is seeking You first and growing in grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen
Thank you, Roanna 🙂
Thank you for this…please pray for our son as he starts a new school year today in the 5th grade at a new school. We moved a month ago to a new state and he will not know anyone.
Priscilla, I know just how hard it is to watch our kids leap into a new school. We moved states away from “home” when our five kids were 4-14. It was scary and hard for some of our kids, but God used the experience to grow them in amazing ways. I am praying with you for your son!
Precious and timely reminders; perhaps this should be a Sunday night tradition…
Janelle, I love the idea of praying over our kids in community more frequently!
Love this!!!!
Nic, I do, too:)