Back to school

Starting school or college again usually comes with a mix of feelings; the thought of homework and stress after a carefree break, but also the comfort of routine and the chance to catch up with friends.

Have you thought about how valuable your school days are? It's perhaps hard to see the bigger picture when you go to the same place, with the same people, five days a week! At school you are not only getting an education in academic subjects—you are also learning life skills.

You're making decisions; you are learning how to socialize, learning what's accepted, what's cool and what's not. You are finding out what you are good at, and what you like to do. You're learning to be independent, how to use your money wisely. Perhaps you're learning how to stick up for yourself, or for someone else. It's an education that is literally setting you up for life.

School is also an incredible opportunity to get to know God. Every day, each one of us is faced with temptations to sin. Temptations, when you think about it, are actually just choices—they may not feel like choices at the time, perhaps they just feel like a big mix of emotions! But when we look back at that temptation later on, we know that we did actually have a moment where we could give in or resist. We had a choice.

God is with you

It's in these moments that we so badly need God's power to help us say "no." A Bible verse that is perfect for school time is 2 Chronicles 16:9: "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him." Think about that! God sees you, you amongst millions of others, and when you want to do the right thing, to choose not to sin, He is ready to give you all the power you need to overcome the temptation.

The more you experience this, the more you will get a taste for victory and the more you will get to know God. You'll see that He is there every time you need Him, and that if you want to make a choice, to say "no" to temptations, then He is ready to help you make that choice. Getting to know God in this way is the most valuable lesson you can learn on the earth. It will set you up for life and give you an unshakeable foundation.