... the morning temperature is low and the jobs to do are many

...the cereal box is empty and the toast burnt

...the traffic on the way to school is slow and the drop-off takes a long time.

... someone greets me enthusiastically

...another ignores my greeting

...the work you’d slogged over was left at home

...a colleague praises my work.

... reworking a major project is required, because it’s going to cost too much

...the daily timetable is unexpectedly changed

...the team is not functioning well.

... there are major lightbulb moments during a teaching session I taught

...the integrity of employees I’m responsible for is challenged

...I need to have an uncomfortable conversation with a stakeholder

...that conversation does not go well.

... it is obvious that there is some unfair gossip swirling around

...the work computer network is glitchy

...wireless internet access is playing up and productivity is reduced.

... it is necessary to advocate strongly for someone in the workplace because they have been misunderstood

...more work is needed to be done than I have time to get it done.

... a colleague gets some exciting news about success and career advancement

...an opportunity arises to talk about your faith with people in your workforce

...caring for a workmate goes unnoticed.

... it’s my turn to feed the family this evening

...family members are in need of help with homework.

... family members have had a bad day at school and work

...the Bible study group is due at my place at 7.30 – and the kids need to be in their bedrooms by then

...school camp starts tomorrow.

To my colleagues on staff at DCC, who navigate days like these (often with family members joining us daily as students too) – many, many thanks for the way you answer the call to endeavour, to create and live in Christian community as part of our school’s operations, each and every day.

To all those in our community, no matter where you work, who can identify with the situations described above – may God bless you richly daily as you seek to serve Him in every circumstance.

Jesus may not have lived in this day and age, but He knew what it was to deal with variants of all these scenarios – and many, many more complex ones.

We can be sure that Jesus’ life was one like ours, full of daily mundanity, relationship joy and sorrow, times of excitement and frustration, all interleaved together. We sometimes forget John’s astonishing claim at the end of his gospel about how much of Jesus’ life was not recorded in the Scriptures.

Quite possibly, apart from the miracles John says didn’t make it into his account, there would have been some uneventful days – days that may still have had their significant challenges.

Sometimes it’s hard to know what He would have done. Maybe, in conversation with other believers, you can’t even agree on what He might be calling you to do in response.

But, as disciples, it is still the call – to approach life’s circumstances seeking to respond “as Jesus would have”.

Why? Because Jesus is God’s appointed “Sar Shalom”, “Prince of Peace”, “The Prince of ‘As God Intends It To Be’”

God promises to give us all the strength to face whatever each day brings us. Isn’t it great that the blessing we have as a school community is how often we find ourselves having the opportunity to support a brother and sister as they work through the question “what would Jesus do now?”

Shalom.

Principally Thinking

'Act justly, love kindness, and walk humbly with God'

Issue 8 · 16 Jun 2023

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