Daily Devotional

First Day

As I reflect on my life, there are a lot of first days. I think the earliest and most significant was my first day of kindergarten. I remember all the anticipation. My mom going over the list of school supplies that needed to be purchased, taking me to the store to buy school clothes, and asking me what I want in my lunches each day. I remember the morning of my first day of kindergarten, my mom wanted me to wear my new school clothes and put on my backpack for a first day of school picture. All those things added to the anticipation, and even the stress of that first day. And then we got in the car, and my mom brought me to school. She came in with me, helped me find the hook where I hung my backpack, gave me a hug and a kiss, and walked out the door. I remember the fear in that moment as I looked around at all the other kids who I didn’t know, and my teacher, Mrs. Kabishka. Her first words to me were very kind and compassionate. She probably saw the fear in my eyes. She called me by name saying, “Welcome, Brian. Let me show you where your desk is.” She said, “This will be where you go each day when you come to school, and if you need anything, just let me know.” It was so reassuring knowing I had someone there who cared.

Then she did something very important. She put us in groups of 2 and 3. She had us share our names. She had us share the favorite thing we did this summer. She had us share one thing we were nervous about coming into this schoolyear. I shared, “I’m nervous about the schoolwork. I hope I can learn this stuff.” And surprisingly, other kids shared the same thing. The reason this activity was so important is it helped me get to know some other students, and to realize that I wasn’t the only one who was nervous on my first day.

Well, fast-forward to today. As I type this, I am on my first day as one of the Associate Pastors at Campus Bible Church. There’s a book by Robert Fulghum entitled “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”, and as I start here at Campus I think, “These are important things to follow even today.” Things like, Share everything, Play fair, Don’t hit people, Put things back where you found them, Clean up your own mess, Don’t take things that aren’t yours, Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody, Wash your hands before you eat, Flush, and Treat others how you want to be treated.

Just as it was very important that I start to get to know the other students in my class on my first day of school, it is also very important that I start to get to know the attenders on my first day at Campus And I can’t wait. I hope to talk with and get together with as many of you as possible over the next few weeks and months.

A verse that comes to mind as I go through my first (of hopefully many days) here at Campus is:

“Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.
Isaiah 40:31

Waiting for the Lord means to trust in or look expectantly to Him. And as I trust in God, I will gain new strength, meaning my weakness will be replaced by God’s strength.

When we lived in Brainerd, Minnesota we would regularly see bald eagles. I would watch as they soared effortlessly above a lake, dive for a fish, pull up and flap their wings heavenward. I was amazed at their strength. And it is that strength that God promises me as I wait for Him.

Maybe some of you have recently experienced a first day. There will be a lot of new things coming your way, but don’t be afraid, just trust in God. And the strength of eagles will be yours.