Principal's Thoughts

“May the Lord direct your hearts into [God's love] and the steadfastness of Christ.” 

As we come to the end of another semester, I would like to take a quiet moment to encourage us to continue to faithfully endure the winning and losing of the little and big battles that we persistently fight so that our kids can have every opportunity to grow into the fullness of what God has purposed for them. 

As I was reading 2 Thess 3:3-5 this week I was struck by the phrase, “May the Lord direct your hearts into [God's love] and the steadfastness of Christ.” 

When our hearts are directed to God's love and the steadfastness of Christ there is a hope that rises in us as we realise God's love will never let us down, no matter how hard it gets. When we are directed there, the image I get is a reminder of the resting sheep made famous is Psalm 23. Add to this thought the idea of also directing your attention to Christ’s steadfastness [persistent endurance], evidenced in the way nothing deterred him from his mission to show us what God’s love actually looks like on earth, and we get a clear picture not just of safety, but of a way to continue when it is difficult. 

I know I have spoken about this idea of overcoming before, using scriptures like John 16:33 (“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”) and Romans 8:37 (“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”), however the realisation this time was different. I realised that often times when faced with difficulty, I allow my focus to be directed to other places, which can leave me vulnerable to fear and worry that derails me, rather than staying the course secure in the love and steadfastness of God.

So how is this an encouragement for you and your kids? 

As your reflect on the semester that has come and gone; as you read over your children's reports in the coming weeks and reflect on the battles won and lost this term; I encourage you to view it in the light of the long journey we are on to becoming all that God has made us to be and realise that each victory and each loss, when viewed in the light of a loving God, or a loving mum, dad, pop, nan, aunty or mate, provides our kids with the security and capacity to continue on the journey to all that God has for them. In this environment, we are encouraging the realisation that hard is OK, overcoming difficulty leads to learning and we empower our kids to live in the reality of this world. 

A foundational purpose of RCC’s education is to train a child when they're young in the way that they should go, so when they are older it is easier for them to ‘stay the course’. When we reflect with our students in this light, I believe we take another step, in a long journey, towards empowering them so they can have the faith and self-confidence to grow and empower others.

I believe this is what grace looks like; it is not unlimited opportunities to continue down a destructive path, but persistent, deliberate moments that allow people to experience the empowering love and belief of God and others, deserved or not, and to continue to grow into the fullness of the person God has made them to be. 

Good Tidings, 

Jonno