In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Hope Lutheran Christian School, Pastor Hautz invited a former Hope student from the first Kindergarten class to attend the year’s opening Chapel. When asked to share a highlight from his nine years as a student at Hope, this 24 year old talked about a time when two classes had to switch classrooms to accommodate the needs of a student with two broken legs. The staff had not planned on teaching the students about sacrificial love through the act of moving classrooms but were simply responding to the needs of a student. I remember that the move was not easy for all and was somewhat uncomfortable for others yet there was excitement over putting the love of Christ into action. And I was surprised to hear that over 10 years later that journey of love had such an impact on this young man’s life!

It is fascinating to me to read in the Old Testament of various leaders such as Moses and Joshua that were called to lead God’s people, the Israelites. God commands them to pack up everything and move to places unknown, trusting in the Lord’s leading. Were the people always obedient and without complaint? Did they ever regret that they had followed? The reactions of people to challenges seem to be timeless as their responses reflect how we can sometimes react to adversity. The Israelites disobeyed God, complained and even regretted leaving the deplorable conditions of slavery.

And what was God’s response? His response was the same for the Israelites as it is for us- God is not pleased with our sin, but the Lord God is merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in love and faithfulness, forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin (Exodus 34:6-7).

We can find ourselves in similar situations to the Israelites where life is difficult, uncomfortable and even regretful. The reality is that your children will also find themselves in problematic circumstances. How do we respond to these challenges and how do we assist our children in maneuvering through obstacles where they learn to be resilient, prayerful, trusting, and seeking the Lords’ guidance and ways? How can challenges be remembered as joys and as highlights of God’s love and faithfulness?
Our challenge is to live and grow in our faith, knowledge and understanding of God’s Word and to lead, teach and guide our children to live out their faith in real ways through words and actions. Embracing the promise of being a forgiven child of God who walks in faith, hope and love for Christ and others is a lesson with eternal implications

Susan Eisner <><
Elementary Principal