PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE

Award for St Andrews Christian College

It was such a delight and honour for the College to be recognised as a School that Excels as reported in The Age. St Andrews Christian College won the most improved independent school over the past 10 years in Melbourne East. This is based on VCE results. Congratulations and well done to all the staff!

Greetings Friends!

At each lockdown I have observed the mental health of many in our community deteriorate.

We keep hearing people say that “we are all in this together.” COVID affects us all in some way, but in different ways. Sharon Rowland (parent & Board member) told staff that we are all in the same storm, but in different boats. I love this analogy.

We will survive this storm of COVID, and we can do it when we allow God to steer our boats; when we set our compass on doing His will not ours; when we go beyond our own boat to help others battling the storm and take our eyes off ourselves.

Viktor Frankl was an Austrian Professor, Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist. He was persecuted as a Jew with his family in Nazi concentration camps and was one of the few in his family to survive. Whilst in concentration camps during World War II including Auschwitz, he witnessed the worst of the worst of humankind.

Frankl wrote 39 books and published many papers, but his most well-known book (written in 1946) was “Man’s Search for Meaning” which describes his experience as a prisoner in the concentration camps. In the concentration camps, Frankl discovered that those who had something they believed in or to live for, were the ones who survived. The prisoners that lost hope and had no meaning to live for, didn’t live very long.

Frankl states:

Much of this attitude for Frankl was going beyond self, even in the midst of suffering. Putting others first; recognising their potential and helping them reach that potential.

When you feel that your life lacks meaning, find someone you can elevate to make their life a little better. When you are busy helping others, you forget yourself in the process.

Frankl writes about suffering and that it ceases to be suffering the moment you find a use for it for the future. Midst suffering, our values and faith can be strengthened, and we can be an example to others. Like Nelson Mandela when thrown into prison, he used his suffering to inspire his nation to forgive each other, work together and rebuild South Africa. For Mandela, his suffering had a purpose.

We remember how David was persecuted and had to go into hiding from Saul. David was depressed and desperate. Yet despite his circumstances, he chose to have hope in the Lord.

“I say to God my Rock, why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?” My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, where is your God?”

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” Psalm 42:9 – 11 (NIV)

But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.

We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you. Psalm 33:18 – 22 (NIV)

We always have a choice in how to respond in a situation and what our attitude will be.

We need to lift our eyes from our current circumstances and find hope.

Paul wrote to the Romans who were in a tough spot:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

In an article entitled “Bring him Home” (Sunday Age, August 8th 2021) there was an edited extract from the book “A Week in September” by Peter Rees and Sue Langford.

The story is about a woman, Margery, who waited for more than four years for her husband to return from the war.

The symbol of hope for Marge and her husband Scott was the gate to their weatherboard bungalow. The article states that; 

"Through letters, they agreed that the gate was always to be left open, like the proverbial light in the window. For Scott, that image never dimmed: “Before I go to sleep each night, I look at all our photos and my favourite snap, you holding the gate open for me. You are looking at me as I write, still with the gate open. I like the snap best ‘cause it is so natural, and one of these days you are going to close the gate behind me."

What is the one small thing you can do that can help you have hope?

• Do something for someone else each day?
• Read a Psalm each day?
• Memorise a scripture verse to fall back on each day?
• Send an encouraging message to someone each day?
• Put up photos of people you miss but someday hope to see?

Do something that reminds you that in all circumstances there is hope.

Let’s try and lift our eyes from our own circumstances and find hope in our Lord. Together, let’s be the light for Jesus to each other, to our students and families.

Blessings,

Catriona Wansbrough