As parents across the U.S. prepare to send their children back to school this fall, many carry an underlying sense of fear. While stocking up on supplies, moving kids into dorms, or planning school schedules, there is a lingering unease about the unknowns ahead. While there is excitement for the new chapters to come, many parents feel concerned about what their children may be exposed to at school.
If we are not careful, our desire to control their environment can overshadow what matters most: trusting God no matter the circumstances.
Whether a child is starting kindergarten or stepping into college, the greatest responsibility of a parent is not to shield them from every challenge, but to fill them with truth and send them out with faith. My father often used to say a parent’s job is to be the daily example to their child of what it means to truly live a life of prayer, fasting and walking by faith.
In the midst of back-to-school anxieties, we must remember that for millions of children around the world, education is not just a seasonal milestone. It is a rare and life-changing opportunity, often earned through great sacrifice and sustained only through faith.
Here in America, we wrestle with questions about how our children should be educated. Should they attend public school, private school, or be taught at home? We worry about what our children might encounter, what they might miss out on, or what values might be challenged or compromised.
While these are well-founded concerns, many of our decisions are often driven out of fear rather than faith. In many parts of the world — whether in China, Cuba, or rural villages in South Asia — education is not a guarantee. It is a gift.
These parents often do not have the luxury of choice when it comes to education. They send their children to whatever school is available, if one exists at all. These parents pray, trust, and believe that God is at work in their children’s lives even when the circumstances are far from ideal. And in doing so, they entrust them to the care of God, leaning fully on Him, something every parent is called to do daily.
We must not forget the true foundation of education begins in the home, not in the classroom. It is at home where faith is modeled, where prayer is cultivated, and where children learn not only how to think, but who they are in Christ.
In Western culture, education is often seen as a means to a career. But for children in impoverished communities, education is the beginning of a new life. When they walk into a classroom, it is not a duty, it is a dream fulfilled. And for countless families, it is the most powerful tool for breaking the cycle of poverty.
We often say that two things transform a child’s life: access to medical care and access to education. Of the two, education is what initiates lasting, generational change.
GFA World’s Child Sponsorship Program (CSP) is helping to enable that transformation. In a quiet village in Rwanda, young Benitha’s parents prayed for the chance to send their daughter to school, despite the daily struggle to afford even basic necessities. Through the CSP initiative, Benitha is one of many students to receive school fees, essential learning materials, and health insurance. The impact of this support was evidence to Benitha’s family that God is always answering prayers.
It is a beautiful reminder of God’s promise in Philippians 4:19: “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
While parents in the West may not be praying for access to education, we should be praying just as fervently for our children’s safety, their character, the quality of their education, and the shaping of their hearts. No matter where we live, trusting God in all circumstances and cultivating a culture of prayer in our homes is one of the most powerful gifts we can give our children.
So as we settle into our familiar routines of backpacks and buses, let us do more than prepare for a new school year. Let us remember those for whom education is a miracle. Let us raise children who understand the privilege of learning. And let us ask God to deepen our faith, so that whether we are sending our children to a university campus or a co-op classroom, we are doing so not in fear but with full confidence that He goes with them.
Parents around the world have one thing in common: they pray. They pray for their children’s safety, their futures, and their walk with God. May we be counted among them.
Bishop Daniel Timotheos Yohannan is the President of GFA World and is consecrated bishop of the Believers Eastern Church. In his role as president of GFA World, Bishop Daniel serves as a primary link between thousands of Christian workers and missionaries serving throughout Asia and Africa and the rest of the Church worldwide.
