A Prayer for the First Day of School

Dear Lord:

Please let my children have a perfect day at school today and every day this year. Help them to instinctively know they can capably handle anything that comes their way — whether it’s a stuck lock on a locker, a crowded table in the cafeteria or answering a tricky math question in front of the entire class. Remind them that a little prayer and a deep breath go a long way toward calming nerves. Let them know that anyone who says anything derogatory to or about them is clearly an imbecile, as they are perfectly perfect in every way. Help them to be kind and include others who might feel left out. Let the happy moments be many, and anything else be easily forgotten. Please do not let their lack of a normal sleeping schedule this summer cause them to have a nervous breakdown at school today, their first day to see this side of 9 a.m. since May. Please let us go at least six weeks without breaking a bone or catching anything that will require a 20-day round of antibiotics (or worse, catching something that an antibiotic can't touch.) Let them never forget what I’ve always taught them — “be nice to everyone, because you never know who is packing heat.” But mostly, plant the knowledge deep, deep in their hearts that they are loved, and let that be a comfort to them no matter the circumstances, every day, for the rest of their lives.

In Jesus Name, Amen