Love That Transforms and Changes the World

By David Hughes (Head of Learning and Innovation)

As parents, teachers or other kinds of influential adults in the lives of children and adolescents, we often find ourselves wanting things for our kids.

We want them to do their best. We want to protect them from harm. We want them to just give it a go and when they fail, to get up and try again. We want them to do well on their NAPLAN tests. We want them to choose their friends wisely. We want them to have courage, to be brave, to embody kindness and show love. We want them to be happy. We want them to live a meaningful life.

As noble and good as these wants may be, they can very quickly turn into shackles that trap those we love.  If someone feels forced, like their freedom has been taken away, resentment can begin to corrode the relationships we care so deeply about.

To force our wants onto others, no matter how well-intentioned, is not love. True love is about sacrificing our own hopes, wants and desires for the sake of another. It is about giving up what we want and doing what is best for them. It is about empowering the other to live more fully and relinquishing control. We cannot coerce or force others to do good, to be good, or to live well. The best we can do is choose life and love ourselves and then share these experiences with others so that it might inspire them to choose the same.

It’s a lot like God’s love for us. He could step in at any time and coerce our actions - stop us from making poor decisions and redirect us towards better options. But he doesn’t. He sent Jesus to show us the way of love that leads to a fullness of life (1 John 3:16, John 10:10). He uses people - the power of relationships - to shift and inspire us. He uses experiences - both the good and the bad - to weave a richer, deeper story.

That’s why we, as a Christian school, care so deeply about relationships. It’s why we are passionate about the life-stories of our students and their families. It’s why we believe in our people and its culture, our community and all of its connections.

Christian love, founded in Christ, is at the core of who we are.

What our kids need most are experiences of unconditional, unreserved love in the context of deep community. And that’s what we believe our school can be like at its best. Yes, we want our students to learn the knowledge and skills that they need. Yes, we want them to be prepared for an uncertain future. But ultimately, we want them to know and experience God’s love so that their lives might be transformed and that they might fulfill their unique calling to serve and change the world.