7. To ‘LOVE and to be LOVED’ – A Story
What might loving and being loved look like through those three lenses of 1. forgiveness, 2. justice and goodness as well as 3. sacrifice.
Some years ago, Maureen, my wife, was the Year 12 Coordinator at a school in which we both served.
The time came for our annual Year 12 retreat, which was a three-day residential event which helped us to focus on faith development and understanding the call that God has on our lives.
Three year 12 students had not completed the community service requirements of our year 12 course. Some teachers suggested that these three students should not be allowed to attend the retreat.
Maureen devised an alternative plan.
The recalcitrant three would attend. They needed faith development and to wrestle with significant faith issues along with everyone else.
At the retreat, they would be required to complete the “service hours” that had not yet been fulfilled.
This would be achieved by them waking at 5am each morning and spending three hours each day, prior to breakfast, cleaning the beach areas near to the retreat centre.
There was no “punishment” for their shortcomings in community service responsibility; there was forgiveness with discipline. Punishment is a penalty for wrongdoing; discipline seeks to remedy the wrong-doing and encourage better future actions.
So, there we have forgiveness, but also justice and goodness – the tasks had to be completed.
Where was the sacrifice? There was minor sacrifice by the students, but that was part of the appropriate justice of discipline. The real sacrifice was that Maureen was working alongside those students each day from 5am.
A process and outcome that showed that they were loved; and guess what – they loved and appreciated their teacher,
Blessings
Brian