Graphic by Kerry Messer

#TheLoft

To Participate:

1. Be creative. We provide the topic. You feel free to use words, photos, video, audio, your family pet, whatever, to communicate on the weekly topic.

2. Listen twice as much. If you leave one link, visit two.

3. Be a community. Include #TheLoft graphic and/or hashtag in your post and social media so we can find each other.

4. Write like Jesus would write. We are a Christian link-up. Offensive or inappropriate posts will be deleted. No questions asked.

5. Be pertinent. Our heart is to build community and intimacy, and our means to do that is to build each link-up around a single topic. Please make sure your post is on topic.

6. Link-Up. Each Wednesday morning at 5am EST, the link goes live, and for 6 glorious days you can link up your post on that week’s topic. The linky will close at 5pm EST on Monday.

This Week’s Topic: School Memories ~ (share a memory of your days in school. perhaps you are still in school, or you have been out for 50 years. tell us about your favorite teacher, something funny that happened in school, something or someone from school that left a life-long impression. anything associated with your school days.)

School Days…

Today’s topic on The Loft is about school days. Somewhere in storage there are photos of me from my school years, but I could not find them in time for penning a post.

That One Comment

I will share a comment that was written in my exercise book by a teacher when I was about 11 years old. I cannot for the life of me remember what work I had done or what I had written. However, it must have left an impression on my teacher, because she said if I continued the way that I was going, she was sure that I “would become a writer.” In all the comments that I ever received on my work, this one has always been firmly placed in my memory. Here I am 13 years later with a blog, a few articles published and an ongoing dream to be an author some day.

Teachers

Teachers can have a huge influence on our school life. I had an art teacher who used to pick on me, which made me dread his lessons and subsequently stop doing art, despite the fact I really enjoyed the subject. I had a really fun and enthusiastic geography teacher who encouraged me in my studies to the point that I achieved a scholarship and went on to achieve a First Class Honours degree in Geography with International Relations. Do not underestimate the influence teachers have on our choices!

Friendship

I made some poor choices in high school, which led me away from God. High school is a tough time full of peer pressure and it is a time of growing and trying to prove yourself to others. A time of uncertainty. Despite some of the decisions I made, I had a wonderful group of friends who were always there to support me. A couple of friends I am still in touch with today. The friendships where you can pick up where you left off after a time of being apart are a wonderful gift from God.

Thoughts…

As I reflect on my school days, I have mixed emotions based on different experience that I had. It was a tough, emotional time, but it was also a time of simplicity; a care-free time to spend with friends, and not make too many life-changing decisions. It was a time to figure out some of my strengths and weaknesses. I have fond memories of some of the teachers and classes that I had, but equally, I have some challenging memories. It was a very ‘mixed bag.’

School, education, learning… they all shape the young minds of tomorrow. How important it is that we invest in a child’s future. To teach them, to encourage them, to listen to them. We can have a positive influence in the lives of the children and young people we encounter.

For me, my mum’s unfailing love and her encouragement to read God’s Word and pray have been so important in my faith journey since I was a child. She has loved the Lord and sought Him, and I have seen His faithfulness and provision in our lives since I can remember. I pray that I will seek the Lord and His love will be so evident that our children (hopefully one day) will grow in faith and understanding.

The Lord is good, and His love endures forever!

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

Next Week’s (September 2) Topic: Bucket List ~ (what is on your bucket list. what are some things you want to do and see before Jesus calls you home. )

I hope you will plan to join us each week at The Loft Link-Up.

Now, it is time to link-up!!

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