Here it is- what you've been dreading since May 24th: the end of summer vacation. For the last two months, you have spent your time splashing around in the pool, making money at your summer jobs, consuming vats of hot Cheetos while staring at some sort of pixelated screen, and posting selfies on social media with hashtags completely unrelated to the 6 inches of face in the photo. In a few days you will be asked to swap shorts for jeans, tanks for tees, and smartphones for calculators. Your notebooks will have lined paper instead of a screen and your texts will be limited to what you can type without looking. It will take a while to get back in the swing of things and recoup the years of material you've forgotten in eight weeks. But you will, just like you have every year.
As you have been preparing for your first day back, know that I have been as well. I rearranged my desk, there's a new table in the corner, and you have new mail slots for your interactive notebooks. Most importantly, I have been praying for you. I pray that God prepares your heart for my classroom and my heart for your presence. I pray He will open my eyes to opportunities to help you, serve you, and love you. I pray for wisdom to answer the questions you ask about my faith and reason for my hope (because you always ask). But mostly I pray that when you walk into room B9 for another day of algebra, you see Jesus. When I explain my belief in and love for a God who took away your parent or sibling, I pray you feel comforted. When we talk about how the answer to all your questions can be found in Him and not a razor blade, I pray you feel loved. I also pray that if you reject this hope I have, you know you are rejecting Him, not me. For I have nothing to offer you apart from my Savior.
I am looking forward a great year and I hope you are, too. I can't wait to meet you on Thursday!
