Praying for our schools

I am committed to helping teens and investing in their lives. I pray for our schools and know that they have become difficult places for our students to go. For some students school is a place to go and spend time with friends and play sports or be in the school production. They love school. For others they dread going to school. They have nothing to look forward to except torment, fear and ridicule.

One thing that almost all students have in common is a need to feel safe. Both parents and teens want to be assured that when they enter our schools, it will be a place of safety and their child will return home. Sadly we know that this is not always the case. School bullies, school violence and school shootings are on the increase.

I read in the news today that the high school in Charlottetown, PEI was under added stress from a message posted on a facebook page. It indicated that a school shooting was about to take place, though it was not specific to that particular school. It is sad that our teens have to go to school wondering if they are indeed safe.

I am convinced that our schools are becoming "war zones". I don't want to sound the alarm bells to loud, but something has got to change. Our teens are faced with marijuana, cocaine, acid, heroin and other illegal drugs. They are offered oxicontyn, ecstasy, and other prescription drugs to take away their pain. They are faced with people mocking them because of their beliefs. They are taught by teachers to embrace "evolution" and are made to feel inferior when they stand up for creation. They are taught that homosexuality is the norm and that they have no right to disagree with that lifestyle. They are taught that pre-marital sex is ok as long as your old enough to deal with it.

I know it sounds like rant, it is not meant to be that. I believe that teachers and administrators for the most part care about our teens. That is not enough.

Parents we need to actively engage our teens. We need to talk to them and find out how things are going for them at school. We need to know and understand the reality of the pressures they face every day. We need to pray for them. We need to pray for their protection...emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually.

We need to take this seriously. Take time every day to help your children walk through this minefield called school. Youth pastors take the time to listen to your teens, get them talking about what is going on in their lives.

Children are our greatest resource!!!