Do Nothing
Stop.
Set a timer for three minutes. Sit quietly for three minutes – no words, no prayers, no interruptions. Focus only on the gift of rest from God.
Listen.
I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety. – Psalm 4:8
Reflect.
Once you get through those first days (or weeks) you’ll be tempted to mark the occasion festively. It feels like it must be time to celebrate, right? Have a party, plan a special event, do something exciting with the kids, right?
Might I gently suggest: no. The first day or week or even month of school is not a time to do things. Now is a time not to do, but to rest. Those first days are a lot, whether you realize it or not. The best gift we can share with our children is the gift of presence and rest.
Writer and speaker Jen Hatmaker has reminded families every year that the key to surviving the beginning of school is to not do a thing else that week. She said the following online a few years ago:
“Your mission should you choose to accept it because you are a Smart Person is to do and plan nothing the first weekend after school starts. Let their little bodies catch up. They are exhausted after their summer of being sloth children who now have to think and pay attention for seven hours a day. Plus, first week of school emotions. Plus, change. Plus, new scenarios and teachers and students and schedules. Plus, that one mean girl. Plus, figuring out where to sit at lunch. Plus, all the new rules…. Trust your friend Jen: couch, blanket, pizza, movie. That's your weekend plan. Cancel everything else. You're welcome.”
The cultural message we frequently receive is to do things. But one of the most revolutionary messages of Christian faith is the invitation to rest as part of a holy pattern of life. We show our children our love, respect, and support by giving them the safe space at the end of the day to let go, to come apart, and to be expected to be nothing other than themselves. Especially at the end of those first days of school, you can give them a space of refuge and protection.
Whether school has already started for you or is about to start, remember: give them (and you!) space to rest, relax, and renew. You don’t have to do. You can just be.
Pray.
God, you made the seventh day of creation holy by making it a day of rest. You have promised us the space and time to be held by you and given the gift of rest. Grant that gift to students as they recover from the transition back to school. Renew their hearts, minds, and bodies so they may continue to learn and grow to your glory. Amen.
Carry On.
You know what to do: nothing! Make sure you structure intentional time for rest this next week, especially if you or anyone in your household is returning to school. Find a way to support another family in their recovery if it doesn’t apply to you.