I arrived at school early one morning this week and was walking around campus with my head up for a change and I noticed afresh the number of mature gum trees that we have around the senior building and the dam. There are even some days where a couple of koalas hang out there! It made me think of the photos I have seen of the campus when it was a pumpkin and watermelon farm and it was full of gum trees. In fact, there was no Morris road, no houses just bushland. Who would have thought that a mere 30 years later there would be 1800 students and 200 staff learning and working together here?
We sometimes think we can make a judgement about someone’s potential, even our own, based on what we see now. We can be prone to comparing ourselves against others to make judgements about what we think we can achieve or do. This can be heightened when we see others winning awards or doing well. It is so good to celebrate student success and appreciate the accomplishments of peers and colleagues through events like Presentation Night (or Day as it is this year!). However, it is just as important to know that we are not defined by what we do. There is so much to school beyond academic achievements and our desire is to see students grow and thrive as people.
Ultimately the education process that school is, results in us becoming someone rather than just achieving things. Just as envisioning what Mueller College would be when looking at a farm and bushland is hard, so too is knowing the path God will take us on. What we do know is that we can trust him and his promises. The promise of Ephesians 2:10 is just this, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” He has great plans for the lives of our students, and I am excited for them as they fulfil these.
Todd Langford
