18 October 2024
The HSC is upon us in full flight, and we are praying very much for the success of our Stage 6 students across this month.
It is a strange moment though. If you have done it, you never forget it. If you haven’t done it, you never regret it? And, if you are about to do it, you are dreading it.
It is a big deal and it should be. Most students work so hard for such a long time to complete it well. The results do reflect a degree of application, aptitude and success
and they do impact futures.
However, it does not define them. It never will. No test ever should.
I would go so far to say that no moment ever should define us. Whether it is the shot that wins the match, the execution of the perfect guitar solo or 100% in the test, I do not believe it is right that any moment should ever define our life.
Sure, big moments like the HSC can and do have a impact on our lives. They are important and we should work hard to do our best in every one of them. But. Should we let our final result be the only thing that determines success? Should we let results define our worth or value, our success or our future? This is the question…
However, if a moment or a result or a grade or a mark does not define our ultimate success as individuals, or as a school, or as HSC students, what does?
In the Good Book, Jesus declares that His disciples will be known by their love of one another, this is what will define them; their “love for one another will prove to the world that [they] are [his] disciples” (John 13:35).
The one thing that defines the success of a disciple of Jesus is the way they love.
At this moment in time, the RCC community exists within a fascinating conundrum. We are invested in the importance of exams and our students doing well on one hand, yet on the other we are still deep in mourning the tragic passing of our beloved Martyn Parr.
Not once when attending his celebration did I hear about how a grade or an achievement defined him. What I saw was a celebration of the way he loved everything he did. Not just the people around him but the opportunities given to him. His family, his friends, his work, his hockey, the list went on…
You see, Martyn was defined by and known for the way he loved.
And it is no different for Jesus. He too is defined by the way he loved and gave his life for the freedom of everyone around him. True freedom.
So does this mean the HSC doesn’t matter so don’t try, or the concerto you are learning can be performed with mediocrity or the next football game can be played with lethargy?
Of course not. All these moments, all these interactions, they do play a part in making us who we are. It is kinda like the puzzle that is our life. We are slowly putting together piece-by-piece, love-action by love-action a picture that will define us. Even though there are heaps of crooked edges, failed moments, the puzzle will eventually come together to celebrate what matters most; it will paint the picture of what counts.
The way we love one another will point to the eternal value that has been given to us by God. Just like Martyn’s did.
I am so thankful for the way our community has loved on the Parr family, Ballina Hockey Club and us, RCC, with an extravagance that empowers us to continue celebrating the achieving of other’s significant milestones and empowers our students to do their best knowing that it will not define them, but it will add to the picture they are creating. A picture that hopefully, one day celebrates who they are and what they stand for.
This is the hope for an RCC education; that when our students approach life with a love for others grounded in God’s truth they are well equipped not just for an exam, but the life that comes after it!
Good tidings.
Jonno
