"Be on guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong."
Two weeks ago I did something that I had never done before. In all the years that my children attended public high school, I never hosted a breakfast for their friends on the morning of "See You at the Pole". I would not have thought about it this year unless the idea had been posed by my son's youth leader.
"See You at the Pole" is a day set aside for students and teachers to gather around their school's flagpole and pray. Students are encouraged to pray for their school, their teachers, their fellow students. The prayer time takes place before school begins. "See You at the Pole" challenges students to stand firm as they represent Jesus at their local school. There is no hiding behind a flagpole. People see you.
Wanting to encourage my son to stand firm, I found myself awake at 5:00AM, preparing a 6:00AM breakfast for my son and two of his friends. At 6:00AM, the two friends arrived, ready to eat. The table was set with cloth napkins and placemats. Breakfast sausages and eggs with cheddar cheese filled the kitchen with appetizing scents. My son prayed over the meal and the boys ate heartily.
At about 6:45 I loaded the three into our van and drove them to the middle school. At 7:00 they walked from the van to the flagpole area. I stayed in the van and watched. Several other students walked to the pole area as well. At first there was an awkwardness in the middle schoolers' body language. Then, one bowed their head, followed by others. Five minutes later some of the students sat down and bowed their heads. It was clear they were praying. They stood firm.
