A new school year is just around the corner.  I always loved a new school year because of all the promise of the future.  I also loved learning, of course, but it was the excitement and adventure of a new situation, a new environment, new relationships that I was looking forward to.

In times like this, I think we also have a unique opportunities to look at a new situation and look for where God is working and where God wants to use is in those places.  Who are the new people that we are going to meet?  What things are happening in their lives?  How do they currently experience the love of God and the hope of eternal life with him?  How can we show love to them in small ways over the time we will have together?

The first step to knowing how to answer those questions is to be praying.  Praying that God will help us to see people with his eyes and his heart.  Praying that we will be sensitive to the Spirit about how he wants us to be involved in their lives.  Praying that he will show us who they are and what they need.

In the coming weeks, I'd encourage you to prayerfully consider your new or old environment.  Who is God laying on your heart?  How can you pray for them at a deep level?  How can you walk with them right where they are?  How can you teach your children to see the world in this way?