Today’s Faith: How To Be At Peace With The Kids Going Back To School

Today’s Faith requires you to relax with the kids going back to school. I know it feels like a rollercoaster of emotions. Today we travel to Deuteronomy 31:6.

I can still picture it like it was yesterday. My boys, backpacks slung over their shoulders, heading up those bus steps that looked way too big for their tiny legs. I waved, smiled, and then, like most parents, I walked back to the house with a lump in my throat. Years later, it wasn’t the bus anymore.

It was car keys, and the prayer I whispered shifted from “Lord, keep them safe on the playground” to “Lord, watch over them on the road.” Going back to school changes as our kids grow, but the feelings don’t disappear. If anything, they deepen. You’re proud, you’re nervous, and you’re learning just like your kids to trust God in new ways.

Going Back to School: Why Faith Matters

Back-to-school isn’t only about fresh notebooks and schedules. It’s about releasing what we can’t control. As parents, we want to protect our kids from every hurt: the awkward lunch moments, the tough classes, the friendships that sometimes sting. But the truth is, we can’t be there for every moment. That’s where faith comes in. Every morning we send them out the door, we’re practicing trust. We’re saying, “Lord, I’ve done what I can to prep them. Please be with them.”

Our kids need courage, wisdom, and kindness. And so do we. The good news is that God goes with them into every classroom and onto every bus. He doesn’t clock out at the school bell. His promise is steady: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” That’s what calms our nerves and helps us release our grip a little more each year.

Scripture to Hold On To

Deuteronomy 31:6 is a good place to be if your kids are going back to school this week:

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Call and Response Liturgy

• Call: Lord, we place our children in Your hands.
• Response: We trust You to go with them.
• Call: Calm our worries and fill us with peace.
• Response: You will never leave us nor forsake us.
• Call: Guide their hearts as they grow in faith.
• Response: Your presence will always be their strength.

A Parent’s Prayer for Going Back to School

Father, here we go again. Another school year, another round of backpacks and first-day photos. You’ve seen every stage: Our excitement, the tears, and those whispered prayers we send up as we wave goodbye. Thank You for walking with our children when we are away from them.

Please protect them, not only from harm but from fear. Help them try new things, have patience to face hard lessons, and kindness that points others toward You. Surround them with teachers who care and friends who lift them up instead of pulling them down.

Help us as parents too. Quiet the “what ifs” in our minds. Remind us that You love our kids even more than we do. Teach us to let go, but never stop praying. Fill our homes with laughter at the end of long days, and with peace that settles our hearts when worry creeps in.

We give this school year to You, Lord. Do more than we could ask or imagine in the lives of our children, because You are faithful and You never leave us. In Jesus’ name, Amen. What has today’s faith required from you? Reply in the comments and I might reply!