His Creation
James 1:17-18
17 Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. 18 He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.
Wow, his prized possession…that is like His favourite toy, His creation that He is the most proud of…so even when you have a bad day, you can look at yourself and think that our God looks at us and sees one of His prized possessions.
Wat doen ‘n mens waneer jy iets waardevol het…jy beskerm dit, jy gee dit al jou liefde en aandag. En as dit iets lewendigs is soos ‘n hondjie of plantjie, dan maak jy seker dit kry genoeg water en jy skep omstandighede om dit te laat floreer. So ons doen ons bes om die “skepsel” te verbeter en gelukkig en veilig te laat voel.
Proverbs 27:17,19 says the following: “17. As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another….19. As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart”
So ons kan mekaar beter laat voel oor mekaar en ons dade, hoe ons optree…wat ons sê, doen en dink, refelkteer wat in ons harte aangaan.
So you can look at each other and tell the person next to you…”you are special” because we found out that we are God’s prized possession.
God wants US to look after His prized possession by looking after each other (iron sharpens iron)
And we can see it through our actions…our behaviour towards each other.
Ek wil vir julle ‘n storie vertel, wat ek hoop aan julle ‘n paar goed gaan duidelik maak en sekere dinge in die lewe beter laat verstaan. Alhoewel ons almal God se meesterstuk is, beteken dit nie dat ons nie tekortkominge het nie. Die realiteit is dat ons almal iewers iets kortkom en nie volmaak is nie…daarom moet ons mekaar ondersteun waneer ons kan.
To illustrate what needs to be done and to have a discussion with his class, a teacher had the following explanation: Today we are going to have a discussion on what is fair. So, the class gave a definition on what is fair as giving equal to everyone. In other words, doing the same thing for everyone. And they all agreed. So, the discussion went on where all of them, one at a time, had a need. For example. Liam has ‘n broken leg…so I am going to put a band-aid on his broken leg. Amelie has a massive headache, so I am going to put a band-aid on her forehead. Kyle has a tummy ache, so I am going to put a band-aid on his tummy and Margo has a cut on her arm, so I am going to put a band-aid on the cut on her arm. Was I fair? Did I treat them equally? Yes, I was fair I was doing the same thing for everyone. Was what I did helpful? Did I give each one of them what they needed to get better…no, only Margo could benefit from the band-aid, because her injury matched with the solution? Because they all had different injuries. A Broken leg should get a cast or crutches, headache a headache tablet, sore tummy probably also a tablet to make you feel better. So, if we treat everybody in school fair, we will most probably not address everybody’s specific need? We need to figure out what every person needs, and we try to give that to them.
We have an exam coming up for our Matrics and for the rest of the school, there is a test series also starting on Friday. Some of us has noticed that there are some students in your class that need extra time for a test or exam, some need a reader and/or scribe, some might need to write their paper on a laptop. They need something different than a “band-aid”. I wear glasses to help me read a little better, we have a few students with hearing aids to make them hear better. After an injury some people need a sling, crutches or even a wheelchair. Some of us need a tablet to help us concentrate. Whatever it is, the plan is to give everybody equal opportunity and DEFINITELY not to be unfair.
Met dit alles as agtergrond, kom ons almal werk hard die week wat voorlê sodat ons op ons beste kan wees tydens die eksamen en toetsreeks. Othou net, ons is nie almal dieselfde nie, ons streef net daarna op almal gelyke geleenthede in die skool te gee. We are not equal but we all have equal opportunity to do as well as we can according to our ability.
Laastens, net om enige verwarring uit te skakel…daar is geen kortpad of maklike roete na sukses nie. Daar is geen “band-aid” wat jou ewe skielik gaan laat skitter nie. Die enigste manier is harde werk! Wat jy insit, is wat jy gaan uitkry! “Fail to prepare and you must prepare to fail.”
Sterkte met die beplanning en die uitvoer van jou plan…vir ‘n suksesvolle eksamen en toetsreeks. Weet jy is God se Meesterstuk (God’s most prized possession) en dat Hy net die beste vir jou wil hê. Yster slyp yster…so wees daar vir mekaar.
Let’s embrace each other as fellow Hermies with all our weird and wonderful individuals and differences…and make this school also one of God’s prized possessions.
PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for placing each one of us in this very special and unique school. We know that you have a very specific plan for each one of us…and thank you for letting us know that we are your prized possession. Help us to be grateful for that…to have an attitude of gratitude and to look after each other…and to be there for each other.
Help us also to be at our best during this upcoming exam and test series in order for us to perform exactly the way You want us to perform. Thank you for each staff member that you have handpicked to be in this school to assist each individual with the special care and assistance that they need. Thank you for all the blessings that we receive from You everyday!
AMEN
Mr MJ Smuts
PRINCIPAL