Finishing Strong

I live for those who love me,

Whose hearts are kind and true,

For heaven that smiles above me,

And waits my spirit, too;

For all the ties that bind me,

For all the tasks assigned me,

And bright hopes left behind me,

And good that I can do.

       -George Linnaeus Banks

As the sixth graders enter these final weeks of school, they memorize and beautifully recite the five stanzas of the poem above in its entirety. With exams, research projects, and Grandparents’ Day on the horizon, some might think it ambitious to tackle a five stanza romantic composition about living for “all the tasks assigned me.” Yet, as we finish up the '18-'19 school year under the banner of perseverance, we might be hard pressed to find a more fitting mantra.

As a classical Christian school, we have the privilege of encouraging our students to appreciate the value of every task assigned them, little or great, as part of living Coram Deo, or before God. While final assessments and SATs certainly matter, so do those little assignments in between, the words we speak to our parents and classmates, and our attitude on the weekends. As students are tempted to “check out” at this time of year, we can encourage our students to finish even better than they started. This is because, at the end of the day, we serve God and not man.
 

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” - Col. 3:22-24

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” - Eph. 2:10

From that last quiz to graduation itself, we can encourage our students to give their all, because of the sure hope we have in completing Christ's purposes for us.