Last Day of School

This morning was Recognition Day at the future greats' school. We love our school because there is not just an emphasis on the academics for the temporal but also an emphasis on the eternal values of life. Some of the fruit of that emphasis is seen in the character awards given on Recognition Day. It is heartwarming and tear-sparking to hear these lovely and devoted teachers describing the different students and their outstanding character trait. Awards are given for perseverance, kindness, encouragement, courage, love, respectfulness, courtesy, dependability, generosity and so on. The high esteem placed upon these children developing character traits that point to the glory of God is indeed kingdom edifying because the character traits are reflections of God's attributes.

Too often it seems that in the popular child culture of today, everyone is awarded something for really only being mediocre. But we don't want anyone to feel left out so we sugarcoat any effort, whether award worthy or not, with "everyone is a star so have a trophy". I'm reminded of a scene from The Incredibles where the malcontent Syndrome not having special superhero powers has developed all sorts of gadgets to give himself superhero powers. He reveals that his endgame is to eventually give everyone access to the gadgets of superpower because "when everyone can be a superhero, no one is".

The Kingdom doesn't work that way. Not everyone is rewarded or awarded recognition for just being a "good" person although everyone will be judged according to what he has done. And the point is that everyone bearing the name of Christ is to become increasingly more like Him. For anyone called by Christ has access to the transforming power of His Word and His Spirit to complete us into the image of Himself.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the
new has come!" 2 Corinthians 4:17

"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:18

"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to
completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6

So on the last day of school, that Day, recognition will be given for the character traits of God reflected in the lives of His people. And all of it will be for the praise of His glory!