Around here, students from pre-school to university are preparing to return to school. Young people are acquiring the proper supplies, a positive attitude, and relying on parents and friends for support as they approach the beginning of a new school year. It is similar for parents, guardians, and teachers.
The New School Year
When I was teaching and the new school year arrived, part of me missed the summer, yet I looked forward to meeting new students and inviting them to explore their faith. In this way, I hoped they would deepen their appreciation for life’s meaning.
Recently, my wife and I moved to a smaller home. We are still unpacking boxes and trying to remember where we put a variety of daily necessities. I remember many years ago, everything I owned could fit in the trunk of a car. Now, it fills much of a moving truck.
Simplify
We hope to simplify our lives with this new beginning.
We had about a week between moving out of our previous home and moving into the new place. We stayed with our daughter and her family. They graciously welcomed us, and we enjoyed our stay. The week provided a blessed leisure for family conversations. Our dog was delighted to be in the company of the two resident pups. There were some frantic moments of canine energy.
I was thinking about the great variety of beginnings that make up family life, a new moment, a new day, a new conversation, and so many others. There are some beginnings we never forget that give permanent direction to our lives.
Perhaps it also speaks to our prayer life. Is each prayer and Scripture reading a new opportunity for deeper faith and greater insight? Is each conversation with a family member, friend, or co-worker a new occasion to know and appreciate them more?
Beginning Faith
Jesus in the Gospel narratives called his listeners to a new perspective, a deeper appreciation of the God who loved them. I believe He invited those who followed Him to a new life where love abounds.
“For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: we should love one another,” (1 John 3:11).
In our family prayer, let us ask for insight into how the Lord’s grace can be found in all life’s beginnings.