A prayer of blessing for teachers, administrators, and students heading back to school this week. A prayer for those of you who love Jesus and are seeking to live out His love in your life. You are entering the most unreached mission field in the world today, your school. My prayer for you this week is this:

Gathered in these halls are people who are hurting and confused.

Some hide the hurt behind academic achievement.
Others with anger or apathy or sarcasm.
Some will seek hope and healing through athletic greatness,
While others will find their solace in the mixing of paints or notes.

The masks are not all worn by students.
There will be adults who still carry their wounds with them,
Nicely wrapped and hidden in a place where no one can see.

So follower of Jesus, know where you walk today.
Your mission field is littered with lockers, permission slips, and notebook paper.
There will be laughter and tears, success and failures,
All of it not near as important as we are made to believe it is.

So follower of Jesus, walk differently.
Walk without your mask and in the strength of His care.
Walk without your mask and in the hope of His love.
Walk without your mask and the boldness of His truth.
Walk without your mask and in the tenderness of His mercy.
Walk in His grace to be a blessing.
Walk in a way that makes people wonder… What is this hope you hold on to?

Keep walking when it gets hard.
Because He is with you.
Because He’s got a purpose for you.
Because you matter, and He’s not done with you.
Because someone else needs you.

Because you want to see what God does next in this crazy story.

Amen