Final Reflections: 2021-22
One of our graduating seniors told me that she bet that I could not make it through my commencement message without crying. “She clearly does not know me very well,” I thought. I am not an overly emotional person, but there are a select few categories of things that can make the room I am in get very dusty, and a mysterious liquid tumble from my eyes. Fortunately, I wrote my message and cleverly left out all such triggers, so I was not concerned at all about the wager. Then, as our faculty lined up in the basement of Bull Street Baptist Church to walk upstairs to the auditorium to begin the ceremony, I looked over and noticed that all 15 of our seniors had assembled themselves in a circle to hold hands and pray together. The church basement got quite dusty at that moment. I do not know many teenagers who would do that, but I am glad to say that I have witnessed several such occasions over the years at The Habersham School. As you might imagine, it is always an encouragement to me, and a reminder of how grateful I am that God has created this school and given us these children to educate and disciple.
As I fondly recall how proud I am of our students in those moments, I cannot help but also think of the heart-rending evil our nation learned of this week at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. I am crushed at the thought of so many families left with permanent holes in their homes and in their hearts. I know that no human words can heal the emotional wounds those families feel, but I am also beyond grateful that we know the Word who became flesh, and he will heal those wounds one day.I am thankful that justice will always be served, if not in this life, then in eternity. More than that, I am thankful that justice has already been served, as the very same Word who became flesh bore the sin of all believers, once and for all time, on the cross so many years ago. Not only did he bear our sin, but he conquered death and rose from the grave. It is this hope of resurrection that makes such horrific actions eventually lose their sting.
I write all of this to say that life is often like a pendulum, swinging from joyful moments to painful ones in a somewhat predictable rhythm that somehow, we never quite see coming. Thankfully, I have been able to listen to our teachers speak about our students in a number of Rock Ceremonies in the last couple of weeks, and those moments have also helped remind me that even in the midst of the pain of life, there is truth, goodness, and beauty to be found. Our teachers skillfully find those qualities in our students, and it has been greatly encouraging to my soul to hear how our students are dignified and loved by their teachers. This is the heart of The Habersham School, and it is part of what makes us so different from other schools. The children here are known, loved, and educated in a thoroughly biblical manner that teaches them to weep with those who weep, and to rejoice with those who rejoice. As our students learn all about God’s world, they also learn to think biblically about the good times and difficult times, always remembering that God is sovereign, and he is good, even when we do not understand why certain things happen. We teach them that it’s okay to not always know why things happen, because we know who is in control.
Fully confident in God’s loving control of all things, I end by noting that it has been my great privilege to serve as the Interim Head of School this year. I am honored to help lead our faculty, staff, and students in pursuit of the great mission that God has given us to partner with him in the restoration of his image in our students through the education they receive. I am also grateful for everyone who invests in Habersham to help make this school community the best educational program in Savannah, and I am excited to see how the Lord continues to work in our midst going forward.
May God grant all of you refreshment and a deeper walk with him this summer!
Soli Deo gloria,
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