Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done.
Guest Post by CHHS Student Leaders Kylie W. & Preston S.
As students prepared to go back to classes last week for the first official time in a year and a half, I caught myself wondering, “How are they doing?” “How has this pandemic affected them?” “What does school look and feel like every day as they walk the halls?” Perhaps you’ve asked these questions, too.
Here’s a post from two student leaders at Corinth Holders High to give a very real and very hopeful look into their first week back at school...
After a year and a half (plus some) of seeing only half-faces and staying six feet apart, plus a constant shift in rules, mandates, and everything else, nothing has felt constant. Throughout our first week, we were trying to keep a positive and hopeful attitude. God is always constant and we are striving to be like that to our peers. Changes will continue no matter what. We have learned that we may not always know what is to come, but we do know that everything is for the glory of God (Romans 8:28). He has a designated plan and purpose for every person. His love for us is constant, no matter our circumstances. That’s what we have learned through the trials from the past year and a half.
Our school needs a spark; a connection that was evident before the pandemic. People flowed together and it felt like we were all working towards one goal. Through Christ and with First Priority, WE can be the spark to bring our school back to life and hopefully, to the hope of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27). Our hope is that the darkness we want to overcome will be pierced by the spark of God’s love for His people through us. School can be a discouraging and negative environment at times. We all have insecurities, comparison, anxiety, bullying, and a ton of other overwhelming feelings from this world. This makes school seem like a dark place. My challenge, really our challenge, is to shine a light and be like Jesus in that way (Matthew 5:14-16).
Society and students are longing for a place of community within the school environment (1 Corinthian 1:10). Our school and students are struggling with the loss of communication and social skills we had before the pandemic. We don’t know what will happen in the next few weeks or months. Will we stay in school? Will we go back to virtual? Will sports and clubs and extracurriculars stop again? Our school and community need a light, a constant source of hope. As a Christian and First Priority leader, our job is to show God is unchanging and His word will not fail and will not change (Hebrews 13:8). He’s the rock we can stand on in shifting times.
We are still hopeful and excited for students to see our drive, our determination, and our love for people. Through First Priority, we are actively looking for opportunities, for moments to connect with other students, staff, and peers. I hope people see a light in us. We want to lead people in that same light and see them embrace it. We want people to see why - why we do it, why we love it, and why we won’t stop (James 1:12). We are so excited about what is to come with First Priority. We have twenty leaders signed up at Corinth Holders High and it will be an amazing experience to share the Gospel amongst our peers!
We can work together as a team to unify our school, to create fellowship and community. We can be a place that is loving and accepting of everyone. Jesus hung out with the outcasts, let’s not let anyone feel alone! We are all accepted in Christ’s kingdom (Romans 12:5). Our goal is to pray the way Jesus has prayed for us. He tells us in Matthew 6:10, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We can’t deny that call. We have a commission that was given to us by the greatest of leaders and commissioners. We want to follow it and follow it wholeheartedly (Matthew 28:18-20). This is our call to see His Kingdom come, His will be done, in Corinth Holders High School as it is in Heaven.
