From The Editor: Stepping Boldly into the Future
Children are so brave. My almost three-year-old just started at a private school, and his bravery astounds me.
This morning, we put on our crisp new uniform shirt and embroidered sweater vest, packed our backpack and lunchbox, and headed off.
As he’s an only child, this was my very first experience in a school drop-off line. My anxiety was off the charts as I pulled up to the front doors in the two-lane drop-off. I watched the process as the practiced, more seasoned parents simply sat in their cars as the principal and teachers opened the doors for the kids to hop out and run into the school, eager (for the most part) to head in and see friends and perhaps even to learn something.
I felt my face flushing as I realized I had no idea what I was doing. My kid can’t unbuckle himself yet, let alone get out of the car and walk in on his own. I’m supposed to stay in my car, but will his teachers know how to undo his car seat, which seems to require my husband’s PhD to operate?
I got out of the car and pulled a similarly flustered little boy out, then handed him to his slightly bemused principal before I drove away, desperately hoping that I didn’t break too many rules and that my son wouldn’t fuss or be afraid for long.
He wasn’t excited to go to school this morning, but he loved his teacher from the moment he met her several weeks ago. Many mornings since, he’s asked if he can go see her, and we’ve had to explain that he can’t see her until school starts. The moment his principal took him to his classroom, I’m sure whatever fear he was experiencing was pushed aside by the excitement and joy of seeing his teacher (and her super fun toys and activities) once again.
I’ve now watched him time and time again step boldly into brand-new situations and experiences that would make my adult heart quake in fear. Every time he enters a new place I just marvel at his resilience.
At this year’s Bible Conference, guest speaker Dr. Timothy Gaines spoke one morning on Miriam’s song in Exodus. God had just destroyed the Egyptian army in the Red Sea and the Israelites were facing a brand-new wilderness, having left behind everything they knew.
I would be terrified; they probably were as well. But as the children of God, they walked boldly into their future, Miriam even leading them in a song of praise and thanksgiving. Dr. Gaines explained that this story shows that we also, “can live with a type of courage and hope that isn’t about just waiting around and wishing; we live in active courage, that even though we are facing an unknown future, we see what God is going to do.”
My son is that living example of faith and bravery every day for me. He faces the unknown with some trepidation, but boldly steps into the future set before him by God (and his parents). I want to live with that same faith and courage, pushing through my anxieties to step into the plans God has for me.