Miss Cassie Dixon, Head of Teaching and Learning
On Wednesday night, many members of our school community gathered together to watch Game 2 of the State of Origin. It was a fantastic night, not just because Queensland won, but because of the joy that we experience when we spend time together. Family and friends of all ages were present with one another. There were collective gasps at close calls and cheers when tries were scored. It was fun being together.
During the initial stages of planning, we had been tossing around the idea of having one side for the Blues supporters and the other for the Maroons. In the end, I’m glad that we didn’t proceed with that decision. It would have been quite lonely for the two of us who are Maroons supporters!
It was easy to be a proud Queenslander during the first half of the game and through the half-time break, when Queensland were well and truly in the lead. However, when the tide started to turn and New South Wales made a comeback in the second half, those around me could see and feel the tension building in me. I’ll admit that I was starting to worry about facing sixty Blues supporters at the end of the game if NSW was able to win the game and take the series. I was also worried about showing my face in Year 11 English the next day, because I knew that the very vocal Blues supporters there wouldn’t let me live it down if their team had made that comeback.
Despite that fear, there was no way that I would have backed down. I am a Queenslander through and through. I often say, “You can take the girl out of Queensland, but you can’t take the Queensland out of the girl.” Even though there was a part of me that would have wanted to hide away rather than have everyone else surround me and rub it in, my team losing on Wednesday night would not have made me change my allegiance.
How often do we face situations where it would be easier to back down or hide away than to truly stand for something? We often talk about ‘peer pressure’ with kids and teenagers: the pressure to speak or act in a certain way to fit in. It could be something little like the choice of hairstyle, or using a certain brand of drink bottle, or leaving some work undone for fear of being labelled a ‘nerd’. Sometimes it’s bigger things, like denying your body the nourishment it needs to be and feel healthy so you can look a certain way, or standing by while people mistreat others, or pretending that you’re not a Christian because you don’t want others to think less of you.
Even as adults, we can still feel and even succumb to the pressure to fit in or to ‘go with the flow’.
Incredible strength and courage are required to hold tightly to our beliefs, especially in the face of uncertainty, doubt and opposition. As parents and teachers, one of our primary tasks is to help the young people in our care understand what they believe and develop the strength to stand by their convictions. To not do so would be to allow them to relate to the sad line of one of Katy Perry’s songs, where she sings, “I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything.”
It can seem like a daunting and impossible task. There will be situations in which our own strength is insufficient. It is a great encouragement that in all situations, we can and should turn to our Saviour, the Perfector of our faith, who promises to strengthen and uphold us.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Hebrew 12:1a-3