When Jesus told His disciples that it was harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, they were astounded because they didn’t understand God’s perspective on salvation.  They looked at it from a human point of view.  Jesus answered in Matthew 19:26, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  He wasn’t just helping us understand salvation but also the immense and limitless power of God to accomplish His will.

    Yet it is this kind of impossibility that we often confront when we consider the prospect of bringing Jesus into the classroom.  We have seen the system remove Jesus from the historicity of our national holidays; we watched in amazement as they removed prayer from schools. The thought of being able to boldly proclaim the gospel seems at best a really good idea with no substance. We so easily see the roadblocks, the barriers, to making it happen—our understanding of the law, a perceived closed attitude on the part of administrators and teachers, a fear that a negative attitude might transfer over to our children.  The biggest barrier is that we can’t see it happening—our faith is hampered by the obstacles we think we see. 

    With the new school year beginning, this is the best time to consider how we as parents can be His instruments to getting His story into the classroom.  The most obvious and  accessible times to do this would be at Christmas and Easter, when we can share His true story with the children.  But now is the time to lay the foundation to make that possible.  This Web Site has all the information you need to make that happen, from a summary of our religious rights in the public schools to methods of how to present the history of the story of Easter and Christmas in different grades using different tools, which are clearly outlined.  But what must precede the doing is the preparation.  There are several things you can begin doing now to prepare yourself and the teachers and administrators for this to be a reality. 

1. Bathe this time in prayer.  If you have moms’ prayer groups or individually, begin praying for the hearts of those in charge of decisions, for administrators and teachers by name, that they may be open to a presentation of the Christmas and Easter stories.

2. Begin now to make yourself available in your child’s classroom or in other areas of the school where they need help.  As teachers see your helpful spirit, as they encounter you around the school in servant capacities, you will begin to find favor in their eyes.  You then become an asset to the welfare of the school rather than merely being a mom seeking her own agenda.

3. Stand firm on the truth of God’s Word.  In Matthew 19:13-14, Jesus affirms the position and worth of children before His disciples.  He teaches the value of children on two levels—their heart and their need.  He commands them to allow the children to come to Him because their hearts are what ours should be—trusting and open with an unfettered willingness to believe.  But it isn’t just the readiness of their hearts that is the issue—they have a need to hear the truth.  The word Jesus used for children here is the word that describes an infant—a very young child who is totally needy and completely unable to judge for themselves what is right or wrong.  They need help seeing the truth, just as we do; and if we don’t fill their minds with God’s truth, the world will fill their minds with its lies.

    Does all this sound impossible, appear unlikely, with odds seeming to be insurmountable?  Sure—but doesn’t that mean it has to be God who does it?  The good news is that God has already given you a platform just by being in a certain school.  (And you thought it was the good resale value of your house!)  But God wastes nothing, and even where you live is not an arbitrary fact.  Just like Esther, placed in the city of Susa as a Jew where she became a queen for God’s purposes and His glory, you are where you are for such a time as this.  God in His sovereignty will allow you to work where He is already working. 

    Isaiah 41:9, 10 remind us that He has called us, even as moms, to do His work.  “I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you.  I said, ‘You are My servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.  So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” 

    So let us all have the attitude of the father in Mark 9 whose son was possessed by demons.  He asked Jesus if He could, would He please take pity on his boy.  Jesus said, “If you can?  Everything is possible for him who believes.”  The father’s response is what our heart response should be.  Verse 24 says, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

Top | Exit | Print
SITC-1.0-ENG-0003 17-Jul-2002