Grit & Gratefulness

Grit and Gratefulness are virtues that seem illusive yet are a vital sign indicating transformation in the life of a Christ-follower.  Here is the challenge before us, how do we practice those virtues with certain diligence and fervor so that we might model this for our children?  Perhaps it is not what we add, but what we surrender.  Is there a pursuit or passion in our lives currently that is fueled by something we fear?  I find confidence as I take the time to listen to the quiet voice of God’s Spirit, asking Him to reveal those fears that cause me to make decisions I end up regretting, and then believing He will replace those with truth.  This act of grace expresses His great love.  When I practice this in my relationship with Him, gratitude arises and then perseverance seems more available.  

Our children are offered swift, effortless paths to meet their daily desires, whether it be from social media to Door Dash, from Amazon to AI.  The neural pathways that result expect this expediency and work in them the opposite of patience, gratitude and grit.  Let us consider, not simply in this soon to be holiday season, how to walk alongside our children, leading them to develop these virtues in practical ways.  I would encourage you to extremely limit technology, especially smartphones.  

As I talk with students on a daily basis, I become concerned about “group chats” and the amount of unnecessary and discouraging chatter that occurs, often approaching bullying.  I have a full view of the struggles caused by these engagements and the lack of true conflict resolution offered.  Let’s reclaim true connectedness, gracious friendship, and moments of quiet.  Let’s take a stand as a community and pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to fill and lead our lives and those of our children. Join me, will you?

Mrs. Kristen Zaloom
Dean of Learning

A Note from the Board 

Dear Friends of LCS,

As we approach the thanksgiving season, the question of “what are you thankful for?” often comes up with friends and family. When reflecting on the idea of gratitude, particularly Biblical gratitude, it seems to me that the more answerable question would be “What aren’t you grateful for?” At almost all levels of abstraction, every person, every event, every problem, every victory, every loss, everything in our lives contains something to be grateful for. When we look at the small things around us, and contemplate on how the Lord has orchestrated our lives, how could we not be grateful for everything?

In reflecting on this, I found myself grateful for difficult and painful things, for the way God used them to help me grow and develop further, however God showed me something else after. He not only showed me how I can be grateful for life’s difficulties, he then showed me that I was not sufficiently grateful for the good things I’ve been blessed with.

I found myself reflecting on my life, particularly my adolescence, and one thing stood out as a tremendous blessing which I was not sufficiently grateful for, and that would be my time at Loudonville Christian School. The gratitude for the teachers and faculty and donors was sorely lacking, and I see now the tremendous blessing LCS has been in my life, and continues to be. Christian Education, and LCS in particular, are gifts for which we should all be grateful for, and never take for granted. 

"Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" (Psalm 107:1 ESV). Gratitude runs through all of Scripture, and it begins with God Himself. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights" (James 1:17 ESV). Each child who walks through our doors, each teacher who answers a call to serve, and each family that chooses to raise children inthe faith is a gift we did not earn.

Biblical gratitude is different from the way gratitude is expressed or thought of by the world. Not all appreciate giver behind the gifts. When ten lepers were healed, only one came back to thank Jesus (Luke 17:11–19 ESV). Thankfulness turns us back toward the Giver. That is why Paul tells believers to "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1Thessalonians 5:18 ESV), and to do everything, in word or deed, "in the name of theLord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians 3:17 ESV).In a Christian school, gratitude isn't confined to chapel. It shapes how a lesson is taught, how a student is corrected, and how a classroom treats its neighbor.Gratitude also looks forward. The psalmist writes, "We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the

coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD" (Psalm 78:4 ESV).

Every gift, every prayer, and every hour given to Christian education is part of that telling. Thank you for standing with us so the next generation can know the God who gives good gifts. This thanksgiving, reflect on the blessing of being able to worship our Lord freely and without fear, and let us reflect on the blessing of being able to be a part of a ministry that builds the future of Christ’s church.

"Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15)

With gratitude,

Stephen Stewart and the Board

Class of 2016

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