Check Your Backpacks

Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won’t let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us. Hebrews 12:1, CEV

TO THE STUDENTS:

Paul compares life to a race, and you’ve begun a new part of your race. So, you need some things for it. These backpacks represent the things you will need for learning the lessons of life. In them you’ll carry all kinds of things for learning. And you’ll pick up extra things, too. If you’re not careful, your backpacks will slow you down because they’ll get heavy. So, I want to give you one bit of advice that I hope you remember all year: Check your backpacks.

Check them every day. You’ll be surprised what you find. Assignments you forgot about. Things you were supposed to tell your parents. That little bit of your lunch you didn’t finish. If they’re left too long, unpleasant things will happen.

These backpacks can also represent what we carry inside us, in our hearts. We carry things in these backpacks of our hearts, too, like the things we learn about God. That’s good to carry because it helps us face hard struggles in life. We can pick up other things that we carry in our hearts, too, like anger, complaining, and unforgiveness. These are the heaviest things of all, so we need to check our heart backpack everyday, too.

We can empty our heart backpacks when we pray and ask God to take these heavy things that crowd out God’s joy and peace.

That’s my challenge for you this school year: check your backpacks every day. Both backpacks, the ones we see here and the ones inside you, your hearts. Give God everything harmful and lighten your backpacks so you can run a winning race! Let’s pray.

Gracious God, we lift these students to you today. They stand here ready to receive your blessings and they commit themselves to study and learning in the school year ahead. We ask your blessing on each of them. Guide them in school and in life, God. Remind them daily, Holy Spirit, to check their backpacks, the ones on their backs and the ones in their hearts. May they remember to give them to you, removing everything that slows them down and trips them up, so they can run with endurance the race you have placed ahead of them. Amen.