SCHOOL DAY JITTERS
The first day of school ranks right up there with the other heavy contenders on our calendar. For Summer-weary-parents, it embodies the thankfulness of Thanksgiving. For students, it has more of a New Year's feel than does New Year's Day. But to those who send their children off for the very first time, the first day of school has cosmic implications. Witness some of these changes: Never again are our children ours alone to mold and influence. Never again are we the only sources of wisdom, authority, love, and nurturing they experience. Never again can we watch and protect our children with the same degree of backyard vigilance. No doubt about it, the first day of school is a mega step in the life of the family.
Last year was the first time I had to go through this right-of-passage-ritual with our oldest, John. I still remember waiting for the school bus, outwardly encouraging John , while inwardly I was seriously considering grabbing him and making a run for it. And yes, if truth be told, old dad got a little misty eyed. Ok, I admit it, I was a slobbering idiot, but after all, my first born was gone! In my defense, I was just empathizing with Sheila, my wife. I was feeling her pain, entering into her sorrow, like any good husbands should!
This year, the first day of school encompassed the rest of our brood as our five-year-old twins, David and Graham were snatched from our grasp. So for the last few week I've been thinking, "Ok, MacDonald, how are you going to deal with it this year?" I envisioned sackcloth and ashes, or at least some big time gnashing of teeth, but to my complete surprise, last Monday morning was a breeze -- no tears, no feelings of abandonment, no anxious thoughts. In fact, it was easy to watch those six feet scampered up the bus steps and the bus driver give us one of those, oh-twins, don't expect me to know them from each other, looks.
What made the difference this year? Well, first, we've been in the community for over a year now and we are well acquainted with wonderful staff at Back Bay Elementary. We know that our children will be nurtured, cared for, and loved. Secondly, the twin's teacher is Donna Burke. Donna is a follower of Jesus Christ, a member of our church community, and a dear friend. So, sending our children to Donna was like sending them to family. It was easy to send our children to school this year because we knew they would be safe, and that made all the difference in the world!
As the school bus drove away, I was thankful that our children would be cared for. But then I began to think about another child that was sent. Unfortunately, this child wasn't sent into a safe nurturing environment, in fact the school he was sent to was downright hostile. "For God so loved the world that He sent His only Son." Jesus was sent into the school of humanity, as an innocent, helpless babe. From the beginning, He was sent with His Father knowing He would be rejected, mocked, spat on, whipped and finally nailed to a cross. Would you have been comfortable sending your child to a school like that? I can tell you right now that I would have done everything I could have to protect my child from such pain. Why? Because I don't have the love of the Father. Next time your children get on the school bus think of the Father sending Jesus into a world that did not receive Him (John 1:11), and marvel at the unsurpassed love the Father has for us. "This is how God showed His love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him"(1 John 4:9).
