Rest for the Weary

What has you weary?  Do you feel helpless in a world that is full of darkness?  Are you troubled by a difficult relationship?   Is your precious little one colicky and keeping you up at all hours of the night?  Do you find your employer demanding deadlines that seem next to impossible?  Is illness threatening a close loved one?  Are you lonely, far from what is familiar, feeling like you do not fit in?   Are you responsible for a rebellious son or daughter who continues to break your heart regardless of what you say or do?  You are weary with little hope of a change in sight.  How do you find rest in the midst of difficulty? Dear one, do not despair!

Ovid, an ancient poet and scholar of rhetoric, once said, “What is without periods of rest will not endure.” The concept of rest in the midst of trouble may seem oxymoronic, impossibly ideal, and perhaps even fantastical to the one going through the fire; certainly, as Proverbs reminds us, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” However, God’s Word not only describes the reality of the human condition, but God grants His children the promise of rest, strength and hope. How are we able to claim these gifts when difficulty is perpetual and fatigue of mind, body and spirit prevails? To begin, we must accept our design and trust our Creator.  He has made us for worship.  Giving our souls opportunity to reflect on the hope of the cross, to offer our tithes, and to join in the great chorus of praise, refreshes the heart and enables the child of God to be transported to the throne of his Father where solace is waiting. God commands that we enter a Sabbath rest; He desires His children to find calm in the midst of the storm.

In Ephesians six, God reminds us to prepare for struggles with armor that provides victory in the battle of life.  In a fallen world, hardship is expected, but with the Word of God, the child of God is able to stand firm in the strength of the Holy Spirit, walk through the difficulty with transformative grace and peace, and find encouragement and renewal through prayer and fellowship.  God calls us to persevere in difficulties, but He promises to be in our midst, and He challenges His people to bear one another’s burdens.  A Swedish proverb points to what is often missing in the trials of life:  “A joy shared is a double joy.  A burden shared is half a burden.”  Stoicism and isolation rob the people of God the opportunity to fulfill part of its calling, to love.

Recognizing what our limits of time, talent, and treasure are is also necessary for survival during seasons of suffering.  There are occasions we must limit the extra projects we care for regardless of how admirable they may be in order to protect the necessaries. There is a metaphor of rocks and sand that pictures the process of prioritizing.  A jar of rocks may appear full until we slowly pour sand over it, only to find the sand filling in all the crevices.  In life, certain circumstances may be out of our control and require much of our time; however, many of us fill our jars full of noble deeds, robbing what matters the most to us.  When our lives are faced with difficulty, it is especially critical that we have a clear sense of what rocks should be in the jar and what is just sand. Do your efforts reflect what is dearest to you?  In Luke ten, Jesus points out the need for wisdom in determining how we spend our days. How often we miss what is best!

In Lamentations we read, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.  His mercies they never come to end.”  In your hardship, you are not alone.  You are loved with an everlasting love.  Your Father cares for you.  Enter the rest He has for you!

 

DSC_7354Suzanya DeAngelo has been involved in classical education for over fifteen years. In her first year as a science teacher at Covenant, Mrs. DeAngelo seeks to help students discover a love for God and the world he created.

Covenant 7th Grader Wins With Grace, Humilty

This year, Covenant 7th Grader Cole Wager entered the Little League World Series books by helping his Red Land team win the 2015 American Championship. Colehas attended Covenant Christian Academy since first grade and his parents credit his school for creating a balanced, grounded view of successes, big and small.

“Covenant provides a community that allows students to be individuals,” said Cole’s mother, Colleen Wagner. “Everyone respects and appreciates the Christ-given gifts of their peers—there’s no pressure to be something you aren’t.”

Update: Covenant Accreditation Report

We’re pleased to report a much anticipated package we recently received in the mail: our certificate of accreditation! This represents the culmination of over three years of diligent and impressive work by many, many people at our school. We can all walk a little taller now as we know we have successfully passed this thorough examination.

If you were not able to attend our accreditation report findings last March then I urge you to click on the image below to listen a to dramatic reading of the visiting team’s accreditation report. This report was written by a team of professional educators who made a careful and comprehensive examination of our school.
You will be encouraged and inspired by their report.

Kindergarten’s Adventure in Cursive

Five years ago, Covenant made a curriculum change, replacing the teaching of manuscript handwriting in kindergarten with cursive handwriting. At the time, it seemed like a radical change. The national discussion had just begun questioning the value of cursive in a school’s curriculum, and now we would be asking the youngest students to master a subject that since the 1940’s had been tackled no earlier than second grade. Our research, however, showed us that this change would benefit our students, so we marched forward. Over the ensuing five years, I have seen some wonderful results.

The majority of our kindergartners have been excited to learn this method of handwriting that in their eyes, only adults use. It is not easy for them in the beginning, but they learn during the first few weeks other important lessons such as diligence, perseverance, and carefulness. When they begin to see progress they are reminded that faithful practice does indeed reap rewards. By the end of the school year, the students are not only writing cursive words but reading them as well. They also have the ability to “translate” printed words into cursive. Having these skills in their “tool boxes” in kindergarten helps to make the students’ handwriting more automatic in later grades, freeing up their working memory to concentrate on the ideas they wish to express in written assignments.

Kindergartners love their names so we use that innate love when teaching cursive. As we teach a letter, the students who have that letter in their name are then required to write it in cursive. An exciting day arrives when they begin to connect some of the letters, and even more thrilling is the day when they can write their entire first name in cursive. 

Some of the words used in Covenant’s curriculum guide to describe our goals for handwriting are beautiful, legible, consistent, habits of neatness and showing respect (to the reader). Starting the process of inculcating these traits as early as kindergarten is a step towards developing not only a student who writes well but a student who has developed these worthy attributes in all areas of life.

– MaryLynne Martin, Covenant Kindergarten Teacher

Lessons and Carols

Please join the Covenant Christian Academy community for a wonderful Celebration of Christmas.  Covenant will be hosting its annual Christmas Concert, Lessons and Carols, on Thursday, December 10, at 7:00pm.  Each year we enjoy a  large gathering of students, graduates, family, faculty, staff and friends (old and new) that come together to enjoy an evening of wonderful music.  The evening concludes with the Hallelujah Chorus sung by  young and old.  It’s an evening you won’t want to miss this Christmas season!  Invite your family and friends.

Visit this link to learn more about the tradition of Lessons and Carols and why you should join us!

Covenant Christmas Concert held in the Dunlap Center
Thursday December 10, 2015 at 7:00pm (doors open at 6:30)