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Identify one or two practical ways you can help prepare your students for the struggles they’ll face in the world.
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Share true, personal stories with them and model how to overcome challenges. Also, don’t just give away the moral of the story and don’t always show yourself as an angel.
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I think preparing students for struggles they will face in the world is to be real in front of them and share the struggles that I have had. Being real in front of them may mean that I admit some sins that I have been forgiven and just let them know that I, and other faculty members are not perfect. We are living in a fallen world and the Christian life is not easy, but it is good.
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Theologically prepare them by showing them in Scripture that this world is a fallen place, and believers will have troubles in it.
Assure them of God’s love and presence in their lives. Help them to search the Scriptures for themselves and see the answers to the Big Questions.
Give them opportunities to navigate problems for themselves with guidance and care. This will give them a chance to develop their own spiritual muscles of trusting God when things do not go their way. -
One practical way I can help prepare my students for the struggles they will face in the world is to be appropriately honest with them and help them in their current struggles. Whether that be academic or personal. Creating relationships with students where you are encouraging but not enabling allows students to face small failures and struggles in life that will help them know how to face significant struggles in the future. This allows for reflection and to see how God has been working in their life.
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The best way to help prepare our students for the struggles they’ll face in the world is to be honest that there will be struggles. I tell my students that when they transfer to public school and enter into middle school they will face many challenges, including probably being made fun of a bit for being a Christian. I encourage them to stay strong and treat those people with love and not to be surprised when it happens, because God tells us it will happen. I share with them how when I was in middle school a boy offered to pay me $10 if I would say a curse word. He knew I was a Christian and I didn’t curse so he was taunting me a bit. I share with my students that it might seem harmless enough to do it, but that by not doing what he asked it spoke much louder because deep down those other kids respected me standing up for what I believed and they would have been disappointed if I gave in to be like everyone else. I tell my students that they can do hard things because they are equipped with the knowledge of God’s Word.