JAMYE DOERFLER | CONTRIBUTOR

Seven years ago, when my family moved to a new city, we had a drastic change to our children’s schooling. My three boys had been enrolled in a teeny Christian school with an excellent curriculum and godly teachers. I served on the PTA and spent many hours in the school planning fundraisers and running the book fair. Our family loved both the education our kids received and the environment in which they received it.

Then, we had an opportunity to plant a church in a new city. As we were praying for God’s leading in this possibility, I distinctly remember having a strong sense from the Spirit that said, “You’re going to plant a church, and your kids are going to the public school.”

I myself had only attended parochial schools and then went to a Christian college, so I felt some trepidation about this idea. And yet I felt confident that this was from the Lord. In fact, I knew it was God’s will because it was not what I otherwise would have chosen!

Plus, it made sense logically: if we were to be missionaries in a new place, we needed to be part of the community in a meaningful way, and we needed to be where non-Christians were.

Still, it was heart wrenching to say goodbye. I had watched my oldest son thrive in the Christian school for six years, but our younger two were only just beginning, and it made me sad for them to miss out on what he’d experienced. On the last day of school, one month before we were to move, I was a blubbering mess of tears as I circled the parking lot one final time.

And what a fearsome thing awaited us! My oldest son would be switching from a class of 6 to a class of 225 in seventh grade. And in middle school—the scariest age of all! On top of that, he’s never been like everyone else. He marches to the beat of his own drum. I mean, this was a kid who wore three watches on his wrist for no apparent reason at all. What would a bunch of public school kids think?

The first day of school, I was terrified. I was sure he would be bullied. As the day ended, I stood at the end of my driveway peering up the street like the father of the prodigal son, desperate to see my child return safely. Finally, I saw him. There were no visible bruises. His hair did not appear to have been flushed in the toilet. Maybe he was…okay?

“How did it go?” I asked when he arrived.

Completely nonplussed, he replied, “It was good.”

It was good? How was that possible?

My two other sons, in first and second grade, returned with similar reports. Everyone was…happy? Really?

Really. In the past seven years, I have seen God be faithful to our family as we followed him in obedience in this decision. Over and over, he has provided what we have needed. Even though I’ve asked myself a few times whether this was definitely the right thing for us, God has affirmed that this is where we should be.

Truthfully, it did take my oldest son a few years to find his closest friends, but he was nonetheless happy. He used to report that he would spend gym class discussing religion with Mormon, Muslim, and Catholic friends. Another friend who calls herself an atheist has visited our church and read through Mark after we purchased a Bible for her.

Changing schools also shaped my son’s career choice by opening up new opportunities. Though he’d been playing piano for six years, after joining the school band in seventh grade, he discovered how much he loved ensemble music. He immediately began arranging and later composing songs for ensembles and is currently a music composition major at Wheaton College. (And in one of the most beautiful codas ever written, he was reunited with and rooms with his best friend from the tiny Christian elementary school!)

My younger two sons immediately found good, deep friendships. In my middle son’s grade, there’s a large group of boys who attend a local church, where he has joined their youth group in addition to ours. This summer, he volunteered at their VBS and in turn, a group of them volunteered at ours. (We’re a church plant, we’ll take all the help we can get.)

If I’m honest, I still pine for the days of the tiny Christian elementary experience. I can get a little teary just thinking about it! And yet I can testify to God’s faithfulness to our family as we stepped out in obedience to him. I thank him over and over for His mercy and pray for it to continue as we approach these final five years of schooling.

I’m sure some of you reading this are staring down the start of the school year with some trepidation because there will be some significant change in schooling. Perhaps you’re in the same boat I was in. Or you might be moving the opposite direction and starting to homeschool and feeling the weightiness of being in charge of your children’s education. Maybe you’re feeling nervous about paying the tuition bills for a new private school.

I encourage you to meditate on God’s faithfulness as a way of calming your fears.

God’s faithfulness is a core component of His character. In Exodus 34:6-7, the Lord passed by Moses and declared His name and character—and faithfulness was one of just half a dozen character traits He declared. Consider some of the ways God promises to be faithful to us:

• God is faithful to protect His people from the evil one. (2 Thess. 3:3)
• God is faithful to sanctify us and prepare His people for the day of Christ’s return. (1 Thess. 5:23-24)
• God is faithful to help His people when we face temptation and strengthen us to resist. (1 Cor 10:13)

Because God is faithful, we can trust Him with ourselves and our children, no matter where they go.

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