The February Challenge – Learning Perseverance

Posted on February 22, 2016 Updated on February 22, 2016

I would like to share a devotion delivered this morning in our Monday morning faculty meeting today.  February is known in the boarding school world as “the toughest month” historically – the long Christmas Break (which, at Oak Hill Academy, is nearly 3 weeks long) is far in the rearview mirror and Spring Break (2 1/2 weeks long here) is still off on the horizon.  The days are shorter, the weather keeps a lot of outdoor activities at bay, we are in the “meat” of the curriculum, and in short, it is a tough month.  It is also the time that our students get great practice in learning how to develop what is one of our biggest goals for our students – perseverance and grit.  As the majority of our faculty and staff live on campus alongside our students, we are keenly aware of the challenges of February.

February 22 – Whew!

I was talking with an adult friend of mine the other evening who is taking the Real Estate Licensing test.  He was explaining how difficult it was to find the time, energy and work/family balance to study.  He remarked, “I wish I would’ve learned this stuff in school.”  I agreed with him, but the more I thought about it – we do, or we should learn this “stuff” in school.  A high school class on Real Estate Law is debatable, but one of the main things that we get out of a good education is the ability to meet the “stuff” of these kinds of challenges – balancing and persevering – in adulthood.  The more I thought about this conversation, I kind of seized upon this idea that at Oak Hill Academy, at our core, this is what we are really teaching our kids.  February is the month where this most obviously comes to light.

In February, we find ourselves at the corner of “Shut Down Street” and “Push Through Avenue.”

Recently, I read an article in The NewYorker by Maria Konnikova about a study that attempted to identify the source of resiliency. How People Learn to Become Resilient   One of the points she makes is that it is difficult to study resiliency as it is a kind of “chicken or the egg” proposition.  Is resiliency already programmed inside of us waiting to be tested, or does it develop through being tested?

In the movie, Fight Club, the main character asks, “How much can you know about yourself if you’ve never been in a fight?”

Jennifer E. Jones wrote a great commentary/devotional on the subject here:  Battle Wounds from the Good Fight  There are similarities between what happens in February with keeping our Christian Faith.  Fights involve a back and forth, ups and downs.  February at Oak Hill Academy is like that – we have our fun, but it also the time where we continue to push our students academically when many are trying to default to “shut down mode” and to top it off, we have several Saturday class days scheduled this month!

In the bigger picture of life, it often seems that as we attempt to grow in our spiritual walk, this world will fight us for it in this back and forth way too.

In any fight, responses seem to fall into one of three categories:

1. Defaulting into negative self-talk and “beating ourselves up”
2. Going on the defensive and simply covering up and just enduring the flurry
3. We can get on the offensive and push through – to “fight” remembering God’s promise that no weapon formed against you will succeed at taking you down (Isaish 54:17)

Back to our students:  One thing I try to keep in mind is that I (we), have way more experience with the type of “February Fight” our students are facing right now. Overwhelmingly, our students come to Oak Hill Academy with their background and main experience in life to this point being a default to “options 1 or 2.”  I try to keep this in mind, especially in February.

Mark my words – the school year gets easier, the “bounce” in our step returns. I used to think it was as simple as the improved weather of Spring (I’m still sure that is a big factor). But today, I’d like to focus on the possibility that it is in large part due to the realization by our kids that they have fought through.  They’ve come to know themselves a little better because they’ve been in a “fight.” They’ve pushed through.  That’s powerful.

We, with some age and experience on our sides, have fought through many “Februaries of our Christian Walk” and my hope is that we can use it to grow and know ourselves better as we choose option 3, to fight through with God’s help and mercy.  The opportunities to be examples and encouragers to our students who are learning more about this option are plentiful in February and throughout the school year.

I Timothy 6:12:  Fight the good fight of faith.  Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.