Last First Day

Every August, there is something about the first day of school that feels a little emotional. We take the pictures, probably more pictures than our kids want, and send them off with a hug, a reminder to have a good day, and maybe a quick “I love you” before they walk away.

But this year feels different for the seniors. These are the last first day of school pictures.

I have seen so many of them this week. Kids standing on front porches, sitting on the stairs, holding signs at Senior Sunrise and wearing their school colors. And behind every picture is a story. A little kid who once needed help tying their shoes is suddenly a senior. The backpack that once looked so big on their little shoulders has been replaced by a graduation gown waiting just around the corner.

It is easy to look at those pictures and think about how quickly the years have gone.

In preparing for this week’s writing, I looked ahead to this Sunday’s Gospel, and I found myself thinking about the question Jesus asks His disciples:

“But who do you say that I am?” Matthew 16:15

It is one of those questions that seems simple, but it really isn't.

Jesus isn't asking what everyone else thinks about Him. He isn't asking what the crowds are saying. He asks them personally: Who do you say that I am?

Maybe that is one of the most important questions our children will ever have to answer.

As parents, we spend years answering questions for our kids. We teach them their names, their ABCs, how to ride a bike, how to be kind and how to make good choices. We take them to church and teach them about God. We pray with them and for them. But eventually, they have to answer some of the biggest questions for themselves.

Who am I? What do I believe? Do I still believe the faith I was raised in? Who will guide me when I’m not at home with my parents? And ultimately, who is Jesus to me?

That is one of the beautiful and difficult parts of watching our children grow up. We can guide them, pray for them, encourage them and love them, but we cannot walk their faith journey for them.

The “last first day” reminds us that we are slowly moving from holding their hands to letting them find their own way.

Maybe that is where faith comes in for us as parents, too. Because while we are taking one more first day picture, wondering how our babies got this old and trying not to think too much about that empty seat at the kitchen table someday, Jesus is reminding us that He is already there.

Just like He was there on their first day of kindergarten. He is there on their last first day of high school. And He will be there when we aren't able to walk beside them anymore.

So as we look at those senior pictures this week, maybe we can see more than a child who has grown up. Maybe we can see a young person standing at the beginning of their own story, preparing to answer life's biggest questions for themselves.

Maybe we can quietly pray: Jesus, help them know who they are. Help them know who You are. And when we can no longer hold their hands, remind us that You never let go.

Sometimes the hardest part of parenting isn't letting them grow. It is trusting God enough to let them go.

Trinity & Leah, Senior Sunrise at PTHS