Page 3 - HCC Vol 25 Issue 2 - 2024-03-08

From the Head of Wellbeing (7-12)
What makes a great athlete? What makes a strong leader? What are the qualities we look for in those we look up to? These questions have been sparked in my mind as we approach our upcoming Sports Day. There are certain qualities that I observed in our student leadership team and especially our House Captains during house team meetings and sporting events over the past few weeks.
Many of our staff watched on with pride as we witnessed our student leaders leading by example, showing servant leadership, displaying kindness and compassion and cheering everyone on regardless of ability or talent. It has been so encouraging to see older students running with younger students and cheering them on to the finish line and to experience how the House Captains have instilled pride and a healthy sense of competition into their teams. A summary of a great athlete, a strong leader and a hero would be someone who leads by example, who is a servant, who models integrity, and who displays great humility. These qualities were certainly evident in a number of our student leaders over the past weeks.
In some of our Christian Studies lessons this week, we looked at the word ‘meek’, and the parallel between what we were studying and leadership occurred to me. The biblical meaning of the word ‘meek’ is ‘power under constraint’. Many dictionaries define ‘meek’ to be a word that seems powerless, weak, submissive and subservient. The biblical definition of the word gives us a picture of someone who holds great power but uses it sparingly and only as necessary. A power that is restrained by love, and self control if you like. This is the greatest power of all, to know you have it, but to use it sparingly, humbly, wisely and in a foundation of love, compassion and righteousness. This is the mark of
a truly great leader and it is what we see in some leaders and, sadly, not in others. The opposite of meekness is defined by Merriam-Webster as egotistic, pompous, haughty, and aggressive. Through this, we see a different picture of meekness. It is not displaying a doormat mentality or silence in the face of injustice. Instead, it does not retaliate when wronged and does not exude pride and self-centredness.
Jesus is the perfect example of all these things. He had authority when he walked the earth but refrained from arrogance. He displayed, above all, the posture of a servant. This is most demonstrably displayed as Jesus goes to the Cross of Calvary. He had the power to retaliate and he had the power to bring himself
down and to end it all. Graciously, he endured everything that was laid upon Him with an attitude of love, sacrifice, mercy and devotion so that we could discover liberty, forgiveness, peace, freedom and eternal life. One of
the qualities I admire about Jesus, among many, is His meekness! Not weak at all, and yet an amazing example of leadership and a demonstration of great power under restraint.
The famous beatitudes found in Matthew 5 put it like this: ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth’. What a great promise for leadership that is built on a foundation of meekness. I believe that people will truly follow a leader that is meek and Scripture certainly seems to back this up, not only through the observations we can make of Jesus’ life but through direct verses.
We are looking forward to catching up with many of you at Sports Day on Thursday 14th March.
Mr Scott Carson
3 SERVING the Yorke Peninsula for over 20 years