I sat at my usual classroom lunch post, scrolling on my phone while ensuring students were safe and enjoying their lunch time. The room was filled with noise, and I didn’t realize that one group of students was engaged in a heated debate. It wasn’t until one student asked for my take that I became privy to the conversation. “Mrs. Andre, didn’t God create the world?!” Without much hesitation, I nodded and gave my affirmative “Yes.”
My student triumphantly turned around to his classmates, raised his hands, and gave his best “I told you so” look. Since I’m an adult and the teacher, my word had to be true. Another student immediately raced to my side to ask follow-up questions. I can’t remember the extent of our side conversation, but I do remember the genuine curiosity in her heart. I pray my answers sufficed.
At school, students learn to better read, write, and do arithmetic. Yet, they also shape their worldviews, engage with various peers, and learn to participate in the world. Each school year comes with many joys. It also comes with a need for spiritual preparation that parents best provide. Whether they’re engaged in a conversation about creation, who has a crush on whom, or the world’s latest news, most students pour from an intellectual and spiritual cup that their parents have filled. As a secondary school teacher, I’ve identified three primary ways that Christian parents can spiritually equip their teenagers for the school year.
Teach And Remind Them The Story Of God
In Deuteronomy 6, the LORD follows his issuance of the Ten Commandments with an instruction for Israel to “commit [themselves] wholeheartedly to [the] commands” that he gave them and “repeat them again and again” to their children (vv. 6-7, NLT). The passage continues with directions for Israel to talk about God’s words wherever they are and to give themselves visible reminders of His commands. The entire community was meant to know and understand who God is and what he desires from his people, including the children.
As parents in the twenty-first century, one of the best ways to spiritually prepare your teenagers for the school year is to teach and remind them of the Story of God. As a teenager in middle and high school, I knew God, but I didn’t really know the Story of God. I didn’t have a basis for understanding how Scripture taught me about the LORD and my place in the world. It wasn’t until I reached college that I learned about how the Bible is a continual story. The story moves from Creation, to the Fall, to the story of Israel, to Jesus’s sacrifice, to the Church as we know it, to the eventual ending in a New Creation. I knew about a few matters in Scripture, but I didn’t know the Story.
Teaching our teenagers the Story of God gives them a foundation for their own time in Scripture. It grounds their life in the unfolding narrative. It gives them a means for sharing the gospel with their peers. As a teenager, I knew that I loved God and that Christ died for my sins, but I didn’t know that I was part of God’s plan to redeem the world for his glory. Now that I know the Story, I better understand God, his Word, and the part I play in the world he is changing. Students need this clarity, too.
Assuring Teenagers Of Their Identity In Christ
Ironically, life at school can muster up great confusion for teenagers. The world of technology, ever-changing trends, and the need to belong pull students in different directions everyday. The strongest defense against these anxieties is assuring teenagers of their identities in Christ.
The teenage years are brimming with reasons to never feel “enough:” smart enough, pretty enough, athletic enough, funny enough, cool enough, wealthy enough, and so forth. Reminding students that they are “God’s masterpiece” and that “he has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago,” roots them in a truth that can supersede their desire to fit into one of society’s buckets (Eph. 2:10, NLT).
Teenagers are on a constant journey of figuring out who they are. Remembering that their identity and purpose in Christ can serve as their foundation for each day they walk through their school doors. Assurance of their oneness with Jesus can help them fight against any lies that the world may speak over their lives. Regardless of their accomplishments, mistakes, triumphs, and failures, they are new in Christ Jesus, and they must know it.
Live As A Godly Example In Front Of Them
Finally, one of the most potent ways that parents can spiritually prepare their teenagers for the school year is to live as a godly example in front of them. Though a simple notion, it has profound power. During his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus commands, “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matt. 5:16, NLT). Teenagers often follow what adults do rather than merely what we say. Giving our students the opportunity to see us exist as living sacrifices to the LORD each day is essential.
I cannot remember many instances in which my mother explicitly told me to be a generous person. I do, however, remember various times when she lived a life of generosity. No one could remain in need while in her midst. In my adult life, giving has become second-nature to me because I watched my mother wholeheartedly honor God’s heart for generosity.
Similarly, part of my conviction for reading my Bible while growing up came from my knowledge that my dad read his Bible every morning. I regularly saw the fruit of God’s Word in his life, and I wanted to have that same connection with God. Simple moments when he would say, “I was reading in my Bible today and…” would encourage me to draw near to God. Ultimately, by watching your life, teenagers will discern what you value. Now, more than ever, is your greatest opportunity to exemplify what a life with Christ looks like. They’re dying to see it, more than you know. May your brightest light always show in your home.
Hope For The Weary
Raising children in a secular world is hard. No matter what, it may feel like your efforts are never enough. In fact, they’re not. They aren’t meant to be. Jesus already considered our imperfection when he chose to sacrifice himself for our redemption and communion with God. He knew we would make mistakes, especially while raising and teaching children. Our children belong to God before he ever entrusts them to us. So, above all, trust in the LORD. He’s already paid the greatest price for your son or daughter. This means that you don’t have to get it all right. You must simply partner with God. He who started the work in your child’s heart will always finish it. Believe that.
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