by BOBBY SCOTT, HEADMASTER

Now that we are “over the hump” and officially in the last half of the school year, it might be good to meditate on Colossians 3 to get our heads on straight and our hearts in the right place, especially as things start to pick up speed in the spring.

Focus Your Mind

According to Paul, it’s really important to have our minds and our kids’ minds focused on the right thing: v. 1 & v. 2 – “the things above.” The meaning here is not just a desire for heaven, but a pursuit of the things above that manifest themselves here on earth. So let’s say your child is playing baseball this spring. How does he focus on the “things above”?

Maybe it’s by praying for the heart of a teammate, learning to handle defeat, or experiencing pure pleasure just in playing the game. I can’t answer that for you, but if it is all about self-esteem and the win/loss record, then it is focused on “things that are on earth” (v.2). There will be no true joy in Mudville if that is your focus. You will strike out.

Focus Your Heart

Secondly, in verse 12, Paul mentions the really important issue of the heart. Several times he repeats that we don’t just have this heart, we have to “put it on.” In other places, he talks about the “eyes of our heart being enlightened” (Ephesians 1:18). This enlightenment also has to do with being more attracted to Christ and the “things above” than the things of this world.

Don’t we wish that our students would be more attracted to worship than winning, to serving than surfing, or to learning than loafing? Is your child ever excited about a new truth that he learns at school, or is his joy to get home and play his games? To have our hearts enlightened to what is really important is a work of the Spirit. It involves teaching, but mostly praying.

Focus on Your Relationships

A final desire of mine for our school this year is in verses 18-22: how we love and treat each other. Though it is really important for all our families, marriages, and children, the way our 8th graders finish this year is a focus of Colossians 4:2. Some of these students have been in school together for 8 straight years, which is plenty of time to see each others’ warts, find out all their annoying behaviors, and simply stop caring for one another.

Yet in some years, God has granted this grade a miraculous renewal of love from the heart for each other that makes this final year at Perimeter one where all cliques are demolished, all differences are appreciated, and friendships are strengthened that last through high school and beyond. This happens only because the power of Christ begins to show our oldest students the maturity of knowing what is really important.

Our Challenge to You

So where will our focus, our hearts, and our friendships end up this school year? That will depend on our willingness to repent and seek Jesus alone to help us glorify Him in doing the things that are really important.