It is wonderful to return and see the familiar faces and welcome the new into our community. It is our prayer that you are able to connect and be supported as you begin your educational journey with us.
A massive congratulations to our graduating class of 2024! Your hard work, persistence and resilience has truly led to a brilliant set of results. A special congratulations to those students who have made the HSC Distinguished Achievers Honour Roll and to Issy, Jas and Sam (2025 Dux of RCC) who all received ATARs well into the 90s. We pray that God grants you your heart’s desire and the resilience and joy to strive towards all He has for you.
For those who were not able to attend this year’s Commencement Ceremony, I have included in this week’s Tidings the script from my address to the school.
We are excited to partner with you this year in the education of your children, helping take the steps they need towards becoming the person God wants them to be and fulfilling their God-given dreams.
As I was considering everyone coming back, I did wonder what dreams of greatness you may have been dreaming over the holidays? I wondered if while you were out in the surf some of you dreamed of getting on the ‘dream tour’, or while you were watching the Aussie men’s and women cricket teams dominate the summer you thought, I could be a cricketer, I want to do that. Maybe some of you when reading a book (tell me that still happens) thought I would love to write one of these. Maybe some of you while playing the console or device of your choice thought world champion is within my grasp. Maybe some of you whilst listening to some lazy tunes in the sun dreamt of others enjoying your tunes too… Some of you, I hope, may have dreamed of studying hard and blitzing your HSC!
I had a dream over the holidays too, you know… it was a grand dream. I dreamed that one day I would ski. Not just normal skiing, but I would carve through fresh powder leaving others in awe, the wind in my face. I dreamed I would ski for days and have the most fun. I dreamed that I would be so good my kids would want to be like me. Man did I dream. And then a funny thing started to happen. The dream started to become a possibility. We went on a holiday to the snow, and it started to snow and there was so much snow and fresh powder and steep slopes and then I put on skis and then very quickly the dream died. And I mean died. I crashed and crashed hard. I panicked, I freaked out, there was even one time where the instructor had to go in front of me so I could get down the hill! Needless to say, I returned my skis after one day. The only thing people were in awe of, and my kids admired was how hard I crashed and how much people laughed at me.
As I sat on top of the hill overlooking the fresh powder, icing my wounds and bruised ego, I realised that the point for me was not whether I achieved or gave up on my dreams but that I didn’t stop chasing it and gave myself every chance. I realised that often it is very hard and we will need help to achieve our dreams. At the end of the day, as I sat in the lift going down though I realised that dreams may come and go, and maybe it is not so much the achieving of the dream that is the most important, but the person I was as I strove for the dream and after the opportunity.
You see I do believe that God has plans for us, He has planned great things for us to do (Ephesians 2:10), He has formed us intentionally and given us dreams and desires, put them in our heart (Ps 139:13-14). I believe that he is with us and wants to give us an abundant life that knows Him, loves Him and enjoys all that He has made for us (John 10:10).
At RCC we have dreams for you to, we want to help you achieve all that God has for you – the hope and dreams, the things and places, the characters and qualities, we want to help you become lifelong learners, joyful individuals, positive contributors and faithful disciples.
I know this sounds great and suggests that life is going to be great; you are going to be great. However, sometimes, getting to these places of enjoyment and fulfilment and abundance takes a lot of hard work. Sometimes we feel like it will never happen. Sometimes we want to give up.
I too have felt this way. As I have gotten older, I have achieved some dreams and found others a little beyond my reach. And, each time, God reminds me of two things that keep me going. Two things I want to encourage you with today.
The first is that Jesus understands – he understands the trouble and the trials we will face and tells us to take courage because just as he overcame, by faith in Him, we too will eventually overcome (John 16:33 and 1 John 5). He says that those with faith will overcome. It is faith in Him that is the key to get us through, when it is too hard, and when all is going well. Thankfully he also says that he will help us have the faith we need (Hebrews 12:2), because even that is hard. I am so thankful that God understands what we need.
Which brings me to the second thing he reminds me of. Not only are you not alone because God is with you, but you are not alone because we are with you. As you start a new year and look around you, you see a community that is on your side; a community that is unique in the way it wants to help and support and encourage and empower you.
So this year, as you strive toward your dreams, as you work toward that elusive goal, whether you achieve it or not, I want to encourage you to remember in the hard times that God has not only created you with dreams and the talent to achieve them, He gives you the faith to keep going and the community to continue to lift you up and encourage you to do the same.
Good Tidings,
Jonno
