The Way // Proverbs 22:6
Today is the first day of school for the Hope Church Preschool. It was so awesome seeing all the hustle and bustle last week leading up to today. I think it’s going to be a fantastic school year and I am so excited to see the kids as they come into the building here in a couple hours. I know there will be tears from pupils and parents alike, but there is nothing quite like that first day of school with all the hopeful energy it brings.
I chose today’s verse because it is such an important lesson to remember; especially considering how vital it is to reach children and their families with the love of God. What strikes me uniquely about training up a child properly is we never ever outgrow it, do we? No mater the number of trips we’ve taken around the sun, sermons heard, or verses read, we — as God’s children — always have something to learn. When I think about my own experience in studying and prepping for messages to deliver, that’s when I learn the most; therefore, it occurs to me that any school year carries opportunities for adults to learn every bit as much (if not more!) about life than the kiddos in the classrooms.
There is one other thing I want to mention about today’s verse. The early Christians were called, followers of The Way (see Acts 24:14). Solomon, who wrote the Proverbs some 900 years before Luke wrote Acts, set the stage for what the way really is. It is the way of God, encapsulated in faith, hope, and love, made possible by God’s grace and mercy. Of all the things I pray we take away from this new academic year, it’s that we truly strive to learn and live into what it means to go God’s way…to have faith that He is holding us all; hope that our future is secure in spite of all the craziness around us; love for God, others, and self; as well as knowing God gives us a power we don’t deserve to save us from the punishment we do.
May every day be a reminder that we all need to learn what it means to go God’s way. Then, may we do it with courage, conviction, commitment, and compassion. After all, this is the way.
