Courage to Stand

Well, the time has come. I dropped my oldest son off at the high school and watched him walk in. I began to think to myself how different this was from his first day of kindergarten when I had to walk him all the way to class and then promise him some fruit snacks when I picked him up.

It has always been my biggest goal to set my children on the right path from a young age. We go to church, read the bible, and pray daily. It is such an important thing for them to see my husband and I do also, both individually and as a couple. Proverbs 22:6 encourages us to “train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” When we look into our sweet baby’s eyes and make this promise, we begin a journey.

But I think the scariest thing about this journey is knowing that when they begin to grow up, especially in those influential years, we can’t always be there. Children nowadays are exposed to so many things and at such a younger age than we were as children. Technology, social media, and non-Christian influences are constant, both in the home and at school. Because of this, we as parents have an even greater responsibility to prepare our children to walk into those situations with a solid foundation and enough determination to stand out against the world. To be tried and tested through societal standards and still have the courage to stand in their faith.

As we begin this next school year, I encourage you to begin to pray over the many choices our children will face this year. As parents, teachers, and even students ourselves we know all too well the many times the enemy has challenged us. Pray for strength and clarity in our children’s minds to see through the lies. Calmness to know that when they stand up for their faith they are not standing alone. Bravery to stand up for those who cannot defend themselves. And most importantly, courage to bring those bad days and those questions to us as parents, guardians, pastors and mentors without fear of judgement.

We stand on the road with these children and they are looking to us to show them that our faith remains steadfast in Jesus, no matter our surroundings. So therefore, we must teach them to have the courage to stand.

Kellie Jones