This past week I was able to rejoin head-of-school colleagues and faculty from the Van Lunen Center for Executive Management in Christian Schools in Scottsdale, Arizona. I am honoured to have been one of twenty chosen for this intense program to learn from peers, faculty, and presenters who are at the leading edge of their field. I am taking away more than I can quantify in this space here and would love to talk with you about it in more detail sometime. One of the more poignant 'learnings' from this past week was not in a formal learning session but came from an experience outside of the classroom at the encouragement of one of my mentors.
The setting in Arizona is a retreat centre behind which lies a labyrinth, among other prayer chapels, settings, and stations of the cross. The labyrinth is a physical setting that has been used for many hundreds of years and has been designed to lead people into a time of intentional prayer, not only speaking to God but listening for His words and direction.
Too often my (our?) prayer lives consist of time where we speak our praise, thanks, confession, and bring forward our requests, as God has commanded. (Philippians 4:6). We do a lot of talking, but not a lot of listening. I'm guilty of this. The book of Proverbs is filled with advice to the wise: to listen (1:5, 12:15, 19:20....) Confession time for me: I like to talk and need to try to stop to listen.
My time in contemplative prayer at this retreat centre in the labyrinth, seeking God's guidance was a reminder of how easy it is to NOT hear God's voice if we aren't listening.
Life is busy. Sometimes it seems too busy to stop and listen. Let me encourage you to stop, to listen, to be open to God's words. He may speak to you, as he has to me, with words you don't expect. As I walked in the labyrinth in prayer and praise, God was able to cut through the noise that is often in my life to speak... because I was listening. It is crucial that as a leader of a school association that I spend that time seeking wisdom from God by listening. In your leadership roles whether at work, at home, at church, it is important for you as well.
May God continue to speak to us, and may we as a school community, listen intently for wisdom that only He can give!
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