THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
My Youngest Daughter
My youngest daughter started Jr. High School today and she was a nervous wreck this morning. Her stomach wouldn’t allow her any breakfast to start her day off with.
She made small nervous conversation about things that were insignificant. I asked her a question I already knew the answer to. “You a little nervous”? She quietly said, “yeah,” So I asked her, “you want to pray about it”? Another quiet, “yeah.” I pushed back from the breakfast table to make room for her on my knee. My prayer went something like this; “Heavenly Father, thank you for this day, just another day, but the first day of school for my “Gurmy Girl.” (my daughters nickname) Please give her strength, I pray that she would lay her worries, doubts and fears at your feet. I pray for the other students and teachers who are all probably a little anxious as well. I pray You would guide the teachers and give them wisdom. I pray Father for a good year for my Gurmy Girl this school year and may she bring You honor in it. In Jesus name, I pray A-men.”
When we finished she looked a little better, but there had been no miracle. She hadn’t supernaturally become like Wonder Woman, she was still a 12-year-old little girl learning the lessons of life. She knows that she has to walk through uncomfortable circumstances in life in order to get what she needs and sometimes wants.
She’ll learn like we as adults have, that God answers prayers if they’re in accordance with His will and timing. She’ll also learn that sometimes those prayers get answered in God’s time frame, not ours.
She has already figured out that the Almighty Creator and sustainer of all things is not anyone’s, “Genie In A Bottle.” She knows she can’t ask for anything that she desires in a prayer and throw an “in Jesus name I pray,” to the end of it, and expect it to come true.
I believe deep in her heart she knows God will answer my prayer and she will become a strong, solid lady of faith. She will learn to face the difficult times head on and not run and hide like a little girl. I think she’ll leave that for the lost world who doesn’t have a God that answers prayers in His good time and will.
But for now, she’s still my little girl and I worry for her a bit. I wish I could be there to protect her and guide her through her whole life, but I can’t, it’s not my job.
That’s God’s job. My job is to teach her to trust in God. My job isn’t just to tell her, my job is to show her with my actions, easier said than done…
I called my wife to see how my daughter did getting dropped off at school on her first day. While I was on the line, my wife desperately said, “Hang on, she’s on the other line”! I thought to myself, “This can’t be good”… When my wife came back on the line she said, “She forgot her locker combination”! My heart broke for my little girl. She’s having a tough first day of school…
God is molding and teaching her… I feel a little torn asking God to make her strong because I have an idea of what it’s gonna take to get her there…
