“Brandon! You’re not the KING of this house!”
This is one of the wonderful choruses that my mother sang out often during my youth. I remember it very clearly, and my mother had to remind me often. I wasn’t in control in our house.
As a parent, do you sometimes feel the need to remind your children that they are not in control? Maybe it’s a bold statement like my mom’s, or maybe you find yourself constantly trying to help your kids see that there is a bigger picture.
As an adult, “you’re not king of this house” rings true everyday. I have to remind myself daily that life should not be about me.
As I mentioned in a previous blog, author Tim Elmore explains that the lives of our children are full of speed, convenience, entertainment, nurturing and entitlement. I explained that these things are not inherently bad, but if this is reality for kids, it can cause problems that often lead to very difficult consequences. The key is knowing the right opportunities to teach all of life’s messages.
Childhood Messages Adolescent Messages
1. You are loved. 1. Life is difficult.
2. You are unique. 2. You are not in control.
3. You have gifts. 3. You are not that important.
4. You are safe. 4. You are going to die.
5. You are valuable. 5. Your life is not about you.
As adults we need to have a realistic view of life, and as parents we need to equip our children with a realistic view. We need to clearly express these childhood messages as a foundation for our children, but there comes a point when they need to start hearing the adolescent messages.
At OCA, how can we assist you in helping our students realize that life is bigger than us? That we are called to a larger purpose? One positive way we believe we can do this is through a new program we will be initiating next year. Oklahoma Christian Academy will be partnering with Hope Christian Academy.
Hope Christian Academy is a private Christian school in Ghana, West Africa. It offers life-changing opportunities to children that live in the adjacent orphanage, Village of Hope, as well as the surrounding villages. Only 10% of the people of Ghana (and West Africa in general) are able to attend school after second grade, due to the cycle of poverty. In addition, over 30,000 children in Ghana are homeless. Whether they are sold into slavery by desperate parents, lose parents to disease, or have been abandoned, these children long for an education. The children who have the incredible blessing of attending Hope Christian Academy are aware that this opportunity calls them to make a difference.
How will our students develop these 21st Century Kingdom skills of generosity, justice, and tolerance?
Our first through eighth grade students will be exposed to learning experiences that compare and contrast the geography, history, and cultural practices of Oklahoma students with those of their friends in Ghana, allowing them to develop tolerance of differing perspectives. In addition, OCA students will be paired with HCA students as pen pals, fostering and deepening friendships. They will participate in service projects that make a concrete, positive difference in the lives of their friends at HCA.
The Sister School Program applies Biblical principles to students’ lives, inspiring and broadening their life vision, worldview, compassion, and service by giving them an opportunity to play an active role in God’s redemptive plan for the world. It will allow our students to live out what God has asked of them,
“And what does the Lord require of you?
To act with justice and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God”
Micah 6:8
We have committed ourselves to this project for many reasons. In addition to the educational and emotional formation it will provide, this program allows us to complete a major part of our mission at OCA, to equip our students to “exercise Christian leadership in our world.”
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