Editorial

This has been a big week. 

Not only has our college community been very involved in preparing for the Presentation Night, but normal week events also continued. For me, I was in Canberra for some important meetings on Monday and Tuesday and then I am off to a Governance conference straight after the Presentation Night. 

I am writing this on Wednesday, so the Presentation Night is still in the future. There is a publishing deadline even for school newsletters and my trip to Canberra has meant I am behind. 

Monday morning, I was in Canberra for the National Prayer Breakfast. The Great Hall of the Australian Parliament House was packed full of leaders from Christian organisations and their guests, federal politicians. It was wonderful for them to see so many Christians praying for our country and our people in need.  

The main speakers were Daniel and Leila Abdallah. On the 1st February 2020, a drunk and drugged driver ran into the family group and killed three of their children and their niece.  

A miracle occurred when, after experiencing what must be the worst experience of anyone’s lives, they forgave the driver. Before there was any indication of remorse or request for forgiveness they chose to forgive. Their reason, because unforgiveness is destructive. They did not want their surviving children, their family, to live under the cloud of destruction that is bitterness. 

Daniel later visited the driver in jail. The driver told Daniel that because he and Leila had publicly forgiven him the other inmates stopped punishing him for killing children. And consequently, he had asked for God’s forgiveness and given his life to Christ.  

I am not sure, but I don’t think I could have forgiven someone who did that to my children. It seems counter-intuitive to forgive. Yet that is what Jesus did and what we are called to do. During Daniel and Leila’s talk I was challenged to forgive was seems like such small offenses relative to their experience. 

I am very aware that the Israel-Palestinian conflict seems unresolvable because so much damage and pain has been caused by both sides. It will take something counter-cultural and counter-intuitive like forgiveness to find a peaceful way through this centuries old conflict. Yet perhaps there is hope. I pray so. 

What role can we play in teaching forgiveness as we live normal lives and raise our children? I pray that through God’s grace we can all be better forgivers and help others, especially our family to be better too. 

John Metcalfe

Principal