Back to School Stewardship

As of yesterday, all of my children are now back at school. I have one college student that started a few weeks ago, a middle schooler that started last week, and a high schooler that started yesterday. Wow, is my home office a lot quieter! All this quiet allowed me to think a bit about whether or not my children see Christian stewardship as playing any role in their school lives. I would say that a sense of being a good steward in school comes and goes for them. They are, of course, still maturing. So, if I could get them to really take stewardship seriously in their school lives, what principles would I want them to cling to? Well, here’s a list of 10 for my children and all the children out there starting back to school. Of course, children will probably never read this, so this is for parents to try to instill in their own children.

Ten Points for Good School Stewardship

1. God has given you the gift of intellect and it should be used wisely. Do not try to just get by in your classes. Offer your best effort and cultivate your intellect so you can become the best student possible.
2. The work you do in class is your gift to God. At this time in your life, you are called to be a student. What you do in class is your unique offering to God.
3. Don’t waste the gift of time. For generations students have put off studying or class projects until the last-minute. That is being a poor steward of one of God’s greatest gifts: time. Learn to manage this precious resource.
4. Always remember you are a part of a community, even if you don’t feel like it. Unless you are home-schooled, you are surrounded by others trying to make sense of growing up and the need for school, and at that, even home-schoolers have communities that they see periodically. You are never alone in the jungle of school and there are peers and school staff that are willing to help you discern what is best for you.
5. Be grateful for the chance to be in school. Millions of children all around the globe have had the chance to attend school taken from them. Their futures are severely compromised because they are missing the chance to learn basic knowledge that will allow them to prosper in the world. Never take your ability to attend school for granted.
6. God is calling you today in your classroom. Perhaps it is through a classmate, a teacher, or a circumstance, but somehow God is asking something of you each day. Be aware and mindful of all that crosses your path daily for something that is very important just might not cross your path again.
7. Hold yourself accountable. Don’t fall into the temptation of slacking off, not doing your work, or even worse, cheating. Integrity is a precious gift that should never be tossed away. No one else is responsible for your actions besides YOU.
8. Embrace the entirety of your life as a student. Growth in school is about more than books and subjects. God has filled this world with people to meet, sports to play, and moments to rejoice in life. Don’t let this time pass you by and get involved.
9. Begin and end each school day with prayer. When you awake, offer the day and all your efforts of the day to God, and then when the day is over, spend time with God reflecting on how you succeeded and how you failed as a good steward and disciple of Jesus. Allow God to walk with you throughout your day by creating bookends of prayer for your day.
10. Stay committed. The school year can be long. Make a commitment to stay focused and not fall behind. The good thing about the times we fail in that commitment is that we can recommit ourselves and begin again.

Have an awesome school year and always keep God as the main thing!