Schools by their nature are busy places. Green Point is a busy school with a constant buzz of things going on: excursions, assemblies, lessons, camps, competitions and plays to name just a few of the extensive and vibrant range of activities that are on offer. It is a delight to move around the campus and view all the rich learning experiences that are going on. 

If you are like me, you may from time to time get caught up in the busyness and become for a while at least a ‘human doing’ rather than a human being. I am also very susceptible to that kind of mindset. The temptation can be to respond to every query about how I am going with, “good but busy.” I recently noticed myself saying that again, so I have banned myself from using the word busy.

But why are we as human beings like this?

I think it is because we often find our meaning and our belonging in our work and in our busyness rather than in other more valuable things. Australian’s are known as a nation of workaholics as we continue to strive to lift ourselves up and to find our own meaning in either our work or in the things that our work can buy. Working like this is tiring and is leading to increases in stress related illness and a reduction in our mental health.

So, what is our response to this? So often it is to work extra hard so we can have that holiday and recover!

Jesus talks about another way to deal with busyness and rest. He talks about resting in Him. He says; 

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me — watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

The unforced rhythms of grace! What a wonderful sentiment. How often do we endeavour to force life to happen, to bend it to our will?  Jesus says to us “stop and rest in me the Creator. But don’t only rest in me but work in me also and you will learn to live freely and lightly.”

This is an incredible promise and an equally big challenge! As we do all the things we need to do, here at Green Point we also need to embrace this challenge ourselves as staff, and encourage our students, to continually centre our life, our identity, our value and our belonging in the rhythms of Jesus, and not get caught up in simply, 'being busy'.                                                                

Joel van Bentum
Principal