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Noah's First Day of School: Letting Go & Trusting God · HAVE FAITH LET IT BEGIN®

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  Have faith. Let it begin. When it starts right now.
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  Welcome to Have Faith. Let it begin. Here's your host, Angel Santana.
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  Ariel, can you say, have faith? Let it begin. Let it begin? Let it begin. Say, have faith.
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  Let it begin. Let it begin. No. No? No? Okay. Hi, Noah.
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  Noah! Noah! Happy birthday, Noah! Katelyn, on the amazing...
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  Noah!
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  This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it... Try.
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  This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it... Try.
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  This little light of... Run. I'm gonna let it... Try.
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  Let it... Try. Let it... Try. Let it... Try. Yes, yes.
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  Daddy, I'm so excited, but I have one question. What's your question?
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  I'm going to be a pastor or a minister.
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  Good question. I don't know, but it is all in God's hands. Good morning.
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  You're listening to Have Faith, Let It Begin, and it starts right now.
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  Good morning, and welcome to a very special edition of Have Faith, Let It Begin.
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  It's back to school. Noah's very first day. Letting go and trusting God.
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  That's today's episode.
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  The school season is upon us. And for families, that means new beginnings.
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  For some, it's kids moving up, moving up a grade, entering high school, heading off to college.
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  For others, like me, it's a very first step.
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  My son, Noah, is three years old, and he's going into school for the very first time.
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  I'll be honest, I'm struggling with it a little bit. It's exciting,
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  but it's also emotional.
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  And if you've ever sent your child off for school for the first time,
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  you know exactly what I mean.
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  You see, for three years, Noah has been home with us.
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  I've gotten used to the sound of his laughter, especially in the morning,
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  his toys scattered around the living room, the little hugs in the middle of the day.
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  Nap time, and now, suddenly, I have to drop him off, wave goodbye,
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  and trust someone else to watch over him.
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  It feels a little bit like an empty nest.
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  Even though he's only three, I've never thought I'd feel so alone, so alone so soon.
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  But here I am. I'll be staring at the clock, wondering how he's doing,
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  praying he's okay, waiting for that moment when I can pick him up and hear all about his day.
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  So parents, can you relate to this?
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  I know some of you have sent your kids to kindergarten already,
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  probably to middle school, high school, even college.
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  And every time there's that tug at a heart, that question will always be first.
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  Will they be safe? Will they be okay?
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  So today, I want to share a message of hope for myself, for Noah,
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  for all of you, and for every child heading back to school this season.
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  But here's the truth. As much as we love our children, as much as we want to
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  protect them, we can't be with them every moment.
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  And that's where faith comes in. That's where prayer carries us.
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  The Bible gives us the word to hold on to.
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  In Proverbs 22, verse 6, it says, start children off on the way they should go.
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  And even when they are old, they will not turn from it.
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  That means when we pour love, faith, values into our children,
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  we can trust that God is working in them, even when they are away from us.
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  In Ephesians 6, verse 11, this reminds us to put all full armor of God so that
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  they can put that armor of Christ on, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
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  And that's what I pray over Noah, that he and all children will go out each
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  day wearing the armor of Christ, the belt of truth, the shield of faith,
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  the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.
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  When our children step out into the world, we want them to be covered,
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  not just by our love, but by God's protection.
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  To all the half-faith family listening right now, I want to ask you, how did you handle this?
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  How do you deal with that first day?
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  Whether it's preschool, kindergarten, or college, moving in,
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  moving out, what helped you let go? What gave you peace?
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  Because let's face it, parenting does not come with a manual.
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  We learn from each other. We learn on each other. We lean on each other.
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  And most importantly, we lean on God.
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  Here's an encouragement for every parent struggling this morning.
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  God loves your child even more than you do. As impossible as that sounds, it's true.
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  He knit them together in the womb.
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  He knows that they're every step that they have taken before they even take it.
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  And he plans for their lives, a plan for good and not for harm.
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  So even though it's hard to let go, we can rest in the truth that our children
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  are never truly alone. They are in God's hands.
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  I want to close with you today with a prayer, not just for my son Noah,
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  but for all children, for all schools, for all teachers, and for all faculty.
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  Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of children, for their laughter,
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  their curiosity, their innocence, and their future.
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  Lord, as they return to school, we ask you for your protection.
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  Cover them with your love, surround them with your angels, and keep them safe from harm.
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  We pray for the teachers and principals and staff and every adult who shapes their day.
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  Give them wisdom. Give them patience.
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  Give them compassion. Let them be examples of kindness and strength.
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  Lord, we ask that every classroom be filled with peace, every hallway with joy,
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  every playground with safety.
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  May our children lean, lean on their teachers.
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  May our children learn, grow, and shine, not only in academics,
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  but in character, in kindness, and in faith.
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  And for our parents, Lord, give us courage to let go.
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  Help us to trust you. Help us to trust you when we cannot control.
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  Remind us that our children are yours first and that your love for them is perfect.
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  Pray this unto you in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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  Our Half-Faith Let It Begin family, thank you for joining me on this special
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  back-to-school episode.
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  To every parent letting go for the first time, I see you and I'm with you.
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  And together, we'll trust God to hold our children when we can't.
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  This has been a half faith let it begin episode until next
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  time stay strong stay faithful
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  and remember that you matter and a
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  special message to my son noah one day when
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  i am not here one day when god calls me home you'll be listening to this you'll
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  have an audio for your dad for the rest of your life remember that on this day
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  when you took your first steps to school I was there to be there with you to bring you in.
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  As I held your hand, as I hope nothing but the best for you,
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  no matter what happens in life, no matter what happens with me,
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  know that I will always watch over you from heaven.
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  Know that I will always have you and your sister and your mom always, always in my heart.
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  May God be with you. May he shine his light upon you and grant each and every
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  single one of you peace on earth.
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  And never forget, have faith, let it begin.
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  I love you, son. Enjoy your first day of school.
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  Music.