I don’t think it is a secret that we do things a little differently at RCC. I was reminded over the past two weeks just how much of a blessing this can be.
A case in point was our swimming carnival. I want to congratulate everyone for their amazing efforts last Tuesday! Everyone displayed great sportsmanship, exceptional effort (in and out of the pool), brilliant dancing, and wonderful encouragement. I don’t think I will ever forget watching Ms Ripley and Mr Miller’s dance marathon – they didn’t even stop when the music did! It was a day where everyone was happy for everyone. What a blessing to be a part of. Thank you also to the parents who braved the conditions to support the competitors!
As I watched the high level of competition, mixed with the genuine celebration of peer achievement, I was truly thankful for this school’s unique culture. I couldn’t help but feel the same sense of pride as we revelled in the first innings of the teacher vs student cricket match (whilst the celebration of peer achievement may have gone missing during an appeal or two it didn’t matter; we can’t be perfect all the time!). Go teachers!
It has also been a blessing to walk around the playground and watch as new students are welcomed and included into the RCC family without hesitation. It is a privilege watching last year’s students go out of their way to be buddies for the new students or seeing the high school students embrace the responsibility of making sure our new RRC Plateau bus is safe for all students and everyone is looked after.
Jesus encourages us to embrace the difference that living like Him brings to those around us. In Romans 12 and John 17, Christians are encouraged to not conform to the patterns and lifestyles of this world, but to live differently, transformed if you will, seeking the benefit and care of others first and seeking to help and contribute, rather than seeking glory and self-promotion. Paul argues that it is when we do this, when we let God help us live differently, that we start to access the very purpose and will of God in our life. I often encourage students to realise that the sense of satisfaction that they get when they help others is the result of actually living like we were designed to live.
So, this week, I encourage us no matter how hard it may be, to live a little differently, so that the little difference becomes a distinct difference that leads those who come to RCC to realise that hope and purpose can be found here.
Good tidings!
Jonno
