The Mission Field of 8

It’s that time of year again…back to school! Our girls are entering into new classes, new grades, and many of them new schools altogether. It is a new year filled with new possibilities as well as new uncertainties, fears, and anxieties for our girls. As they walk into their schools for the first time this year, it can be easy for them to become so wrapped up in their emotions, whether good or bad, that they lose focus of their calling.

I remember so well the feeling of school being about me…my outfit, my friends, my grades, my accomplishments. But, that is such a hopeless trap! God calls our girls to so much more than just themselves. He has called them to live out this school year for His glory, and He has given them an incredible mission field to do it on.

I like to call it the “mission field of eight.” In most classrooms, each desk is surrounded by eight others. There are at least eight students within reaching distance of each of our girls. What an incredible opportunity! If we believe that God is sovereign and purposeful…which is just the plain old truth…then we can trust that those eight students seated around each of our girls is there for a purpose! This is their mission field!

So here is the challenge for us as leaders:

• Be in prayer for your girls to have a God-centered perspective when entering into their schools this year and not a self-centered one.
• Encourage girls to be in prayer for the eight students they will be seated next too in their classes.
• Intercede on behalf of your girls as they walk through the 2015-2016 school year, that they would be bold in sharing the Gospel and stand strong against temptation, ungodly cultural shifts, and a self-centered priorities.
• Be in communication with our girls about their mission field of eight, asking them tough questions, holding them accountable, and encouraging them as they share the Gospel with their classmates, teammates, friends, and even enemies.

Happy start of the school year everyone! May we all start out this school year doing the most powerful thing we can for our girls…praying for them (James 5:16)!