From the Principal

Let's pause to breathe.....

It seems like ages ago that I penned the thoughts for our last edition of the Herald.  Disruption would be an accurate way of describing life.   So today I want to share a thought, a prayer, a story and a devotion.

The thought.

As I jumped in the car to drive to work this morning, this is what I saw.  What a declaration from God that even the wind and waves, sun and the moon obey His command.

In times such as these, we can rest in the assurance that God is in control and that we can trust in Him.  The verse in Isaiah 43:19 came to mind:

“See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

I need to remind myself of God’s promises each day.  At school we are gathering, with appropriate physical distancing, to pray. Before we pray, we have opened God’s Word to look at the promises that God has declared to us. Here are just a few!

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.” Psalm 55:22

“Jesus told him, ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe.’”  Mark 5:36

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.”  Romans 8:38-39

The Prayer

Lord, we won’t live in a perfect world until we join you in heaven. This current situation won’t be the last crisis for the world or for me. I can’t outrun, outpace, outdo, outsmart, or outlive trouble. It has a way of popping up even in the good and prosperous seasons in culture, my life, and the lives of those around me.

Lord, quiet my raging emotions so that I can be a beacon of healing love and peace to those in my sphere of influence who are overwhelmed by panic and fear. Use me Lord as your disciple to bring healing to a hurting world. I love you Lord, Amen.

The Story

I imagine if Dr. Seuss were alive today, he’d write something like this:

(Read with Dr. Seuss book rhythm)

The buildings were big and people would smile

And travel they would mile by mile.

But sick they become, in numbers it grew

Businesses worried, communities too.

Things stopped for a bit, the world slowed it’s roll

The virus had certainly taken its toll.

But what they then saw from slowing things down.

Is in fact they now had less reasons to frown.

Families now gathered, what game shall we play?

Pass me the blue crayon, give Mommy the grey.

Dad’s home guys! He’ll read us a book

Then all of us together will cook.

The lungs of the planet caught a small break

Less travel meant less pollution to make.

People did realize they’d all be OK

They don’t need so much to get through the day.

Maybe this virus that caused so much stress

Showed the whole world that more can mean less.

Written by XXXXXX

Inspired by Dr. Seuss

The Devotion

Nothing I Suffer Surprises God

Vaneetha Rendall Risner is a regular contributor for Desiring God.com and she wrote these words that I’d love to share.  In the midst of the busyness of our disrupted lives, I encourage you to pause and have a read.

How will this turn out? How hard will it be? How long is this trial going to last?

Those questions are often at the core of my worries. I want reassurance that this problem is a temporary blip. That my deepest worries are unfounded. That what’s happening right now is going to turn out well.

A few mornings ago, I was concerned about an unexplained new health issue, uncertain of what the underlying problem might be. This on top of the deep and chronic pain I already carry because of my post-polio. The new issue had been bothering me for weeks and was still unresolved. There were so many unknowns. I was sitting before an open Bible, reading God’s words in Scripture, but my mind was somewhere far away.

I grabbed my phone and put my questions into Google. I searched and searched, using different terms and queries, to figure out what my symptoms indicated. I wondered whether I should be concerned. I wanted assurance that I was going to be okay. I found a few hopeful answers but still felt vaguely unsettled. I went back to reading my Bible, wishing I hadn’t interrupted my time with God for that.

Information Is Not the Answer

Then I read, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way” (Psalm 46:1–2). I realized how foolish I’d been. Why was I looking elsewhere first for answers? Why did I think that my problem was a lack of information? Why did I want reassurance from Google rather than from God?

I’m not alone in looking to the Internet for answers. Some statistics estimate 5.5 billion searches are initiated each day, which would mean 63,000 per second. Everyone wants information, as if information were the solution to all our problems.

With Psalm 46 in my ears, I started journ