Three Reminders for Students Being “Sent Off” This Summer

For parents, this time of year can feel like a time of “sum up and send off” in various ways. It’s when the school year wraps up, high school and college seniors graduate, recitals and sports tournaments happen, packing for summer camps and internships begins . . . and even a wedding or two happens!

So as you prepare to send off your students to their next adventure and life experience, here are a few things you might consider sharing and encouraging them to do.

Read, Study, and Know God’s Word

Author, speaker, and homeschool mom Heidi St. John said during this year’s homeschool experience at the Ark Encounter, “The time of lazy Christians is over!” We live in a time where access to a Bible is just a click away, and you can pick from a wide variety of physical copies too. You can pick your favorite translation, what size you prefer your Bible to be, the color of the cover, and even if you want study notes. We auditory learners can even listen to the Bible on audio! And yet, there is an alarming level of biblical ignorance among God’s followers today.

First Peter 3:14–15 says,

Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.

It’s rather impossible to be “prepared to make a defense” if you don’t know what you’re defending.

Deuteronomy 6:4–9 says,

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

You’ve probably heard this as something parents are to do for their children. But as you are headed out on your own, you can use this as a model for how you can read, study, repeat, contemplate, investigate, and even teach others about God’s Word at all times.

When everything else around us is shifting sand, we can have a steady foundation on God’s Word.

I also encourage you to know Genesis 1–11 as your foundation. Knowing what happened in the beginning helps us understand the world and our God who created it, using the Bible as our worldview foundation. When everything else around us is shifting sand, we can have a steady foundation on God’s Word because God never changes.

These chapters also address a lot of the questions we face today. For example, what’s God’s design for gender and marriage? Genesis 2. Why do people die, and why do bad things happen? Genesis 3. Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Genesis 3. Is human life valuable? Genesis 4. What does the rainbow mean? Genesis 9. Why do people have different skin tones? Genesis 11. Who was the first person to invent metal tools? Yep, there’s even a verse in Genesis for this! Genesis 4:22. And that’s just a brief sampling!

So read, study, and know God’s Word.

Have a Filter

As you are discovering your own interests and tastes in reading, viewing, and listening entertainment—and even determining how to engage in conversations or act toward others (especially in the heat of the moment)—how can you easily determine if you are glorifying God in your choices?

In our family, we filter everything through the fruits of the Spirit and Philippians 4:8. When it’s a comment or an action, we ask, “Is it loving, peaceful, patient, kind, gentle, good, and self-controlled?” When it’s about what we put in front of our eyes, mind, and heart, we ask, “Is it true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, worthy of praise?” In the heat of the moment, or when we feel an “ick” but aren’t sure why, these questions help guide us.

It’s not possible for you to prepare for every sinful or fallen thing in this world, but God does give you tools and processes and answers regarding what to do. Hey, look at that! Another reason to read, study, and know God’s Word!

Learn Conversational Skills

Strong conversational skills are not just a good thing to include on your résumé, but they are another way you can be an example of Christ to others. This means when you are having a conversation with someone else, you’re able to listen carefully without interrupting (Ephesians 4:29); ask intentional follow-up questions to continue the conversation and show genuine interest in others (Colossians 4:6); and able to disagree without taking something said too personally or escalating the conversation into an argument (Proverbs 15:1).

Conclusion

As parents, we’re not called to shield and protect our children from every fallen and sinful thing of this world. That’s rather impossible. But we are to help prepare each child to have a strong spiritual foundation, nurture a great relationship with God and family, choose friends and companions wisely, and be ready to give an answer for the hope that is in them (1 Peter 3:15).

And together, as a family, we can move into each season of life with curiosity, integrity, and passionate knowledge of God’s Word and character.

As I was once told when entering my next educational season of life, “Go forth and be awesome!”