Cold Armour

As I greet our students coming in these winter mornings I can’t help but smile at their layered approach to keeping the cold at bay. The smaller they are, the more bundled up they are as their parents attempt to keep winter’s chill out. Many of our JK/SK students are so bundled up that we don’t know who we have at school until they start to peel off their “cold armour”. Coats, snow pants, gloves, mitts, scarves, balaclava, boots, and more protect their skin and keep them warm against the frosty chill.

Going anywhere with children takes longer this time of year if we want them to be protected. Some of our students, perhaps out of a desire to get outside quicker or frustration at the effort it takes to put it all on, decide not to wear key pieces of this “cold armour”, later to recognize after some minutes outside that they made a mistake in their haste that has consequences.

The content of chapel this morning was a reminder of the importance of putting on the Armour of God (Ephesians 6:11) in its completion to keep ourselves well-protected and prepared with the right tools for life. Armed with truth, faith, peace, righteousness, salvation, and the Spirit our students are made ready to take on the challenges of learning and living by faith. Much like donning winter gear, it takes time and discipline to be prepared, however that time and effort equips us to be ready for whatever the Lord calls us our students to do today and in their future.

In between zipping up stubborn zippers and locating stray mittens, LCES staff are doing the important work of being a faithful presence for our students by shining the light on truth, nourishing faith, valuing peace, demonstrating righteousness, and listening for the Spirit’s prompting. We pray that our children’s amour will be an intricate part of their way to love and serve the Lord forever, whatever the temperature. May God bless us in that important task we work toward everyday here at school. SJ