Back to School 
Pause
Going Back2School this year will be different, even a little scary. So make space for God today.
Just like packing your backpack for school, carve out some time each day to be filled with God’s presence.
Breathe in… breathe out… Be still, knowing that you are God’s beloved.
Listen
Are any of you wise and understanding? Show that your actions are good with a humble lifestyle that comes from wisdom.
James 3:13
Think
Do you ever think about the word humble and what it means to live humbly? One of my favorite authors, Frederick Buechner, says this about humility: “True humility doesn’t consist of thinking ill of yourself but of not thinking of yourself much differently from the way you’d be apt to think of anybody else.” In other words, a humble lifestyle is living the Greatest Commandment as best as you can – to love God and to love your neighbor as you love yourself (Matt. 22:36-40).
The last part of this verse from James is crucial. A humble lifestyle comes from wisdom. It comes from seeking to understand someone else’s life. It comes from not only hoping the best for someone, but actively seeking love and justice for other people. Jesus gave you access to the wisdom of God when he shared the Greatest Commandment.
The question for you to answer is, how will you use that wisdom? During these first weeks of school, pay attention to the ways you can live humbly and love the people around you.
Josh Speight
Pray
God, help me to live a humble life that actively loves you and loves my neighbor. Help me to love others as you love me. Amen.
Go
Go now in the power of the Spirit of God, blessed to be God’s Church in the world.
