Principal's Ponderings

Wholehearted Trust

To live wholeheartedly is not to pretend life is easy, neat, or free from pain. It is not blind optimism or spiritual bravado. Wholehearted faith is quieter than that. It is deeper. It is braver.

It is choosing to trust God with your whole heart even when your heart feels heavy.

As a community, we know that heaviness is real. There are families walking through illness and cancer. There are hearts carrying grief, loss, and unanswered questions. There are parents praying for their children, with tears they never expected to shed. There are students holding worries far too big for their young shoulders. There are days when faith feels strong, and days when simply showing up is an act of courage.

Wholehearted trust does not deny any of this. It brings it honestly before God.

Scripture reminds us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Not some of your heart. Not just the confident, joyful parts. All of it. The tired parts. The fearful parts. The grieving parts. The questions. The waiting. The prayers that feel whispered rather than bold.

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;

    don’t try to figure out everything on your own.

Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;

    he’s the one who will keep you on track. (Proverbs 3:5-6 MSG)

As parents, teachers and adults, this wholehearted trust carries a responsibility. Our children are watching how we respond in these situations and difficulties. They are learning from us whether hard things are faced with fear or with hope. Teaching hope does not mean shielding children from reality or pretending pain does not exist, we need to talk about this with them - teaching them how to take steps. It means helping them understand that faith gives us tools to face difficult things with courage, honesty, and trust in God’s goodness, even if we cannot see it.

When we model prayer in uncertainty, gratitude in struggle, and reliance on God rather than panic, we strengthen our children’s faith muscles. We show them that hope is not fragile. It is formed. It is practised. It is anchored in Jesus.

Wholehearted faith says, God, I don’t understand this, but I will not walk alone.

It says, I don’t have answers, but I believe Jesus You are still good.

It says, I will place my trust not in outcomes, but in Jesus' presence.

This kind of trust grows best in community. We were never meant to carry life alone. When one family hurts, we hurt together. When one student struggles, we wrap them in prayer. When hope feels fragile, we hold it for one another.

Wholehearted trust also reminds us that Jesus does not stand at a distance from our pain. He steps into it. He weeps with those who grieve. He sits with the sick. He welcomes the weary. He carries what we cannot.

For hasn't the Lord promised you,

"I will never leave you, never!

And I will not loosen my grip on your life!"

So we can say with great confidence:

"I know the Lord is for me and I will never be afraid 

of what people may do to me!"

 - Hebrews 13: 5-6 (TPT)

As we continue to grow together, may we be a community that lives and teaches wholehearted trust, forming children who are hopeful, resilient, and grounded in faith. God is near. God is faithful. God is holding us.

And that is enough to keep walking, together, with our eyes fixed on Jesus.

May our year commence as a community united to pray and uphold one another. 

Shalom,

Chad Smit