Waiting on the Lord

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.  It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the Lord.   - Lamentations 3:25-26

For the past 28 years, Hickory Christian Academy has been defined in many ways.  We are a Classical school.  The only one in our area.  This means that we have rejected the modern educational model of rote memorization, and maintained the centuries-old method of training young minds to think for themselves.  Around 85% of our graduates attend 4 year universities straight out of high school, with most others doing a community college first.  This is an impressive academic statistic for any school in today's world, and can also lead to community identity as well.  Sometimes we even are defined by athletics, when we happen to have championship years, like our girls soccer team has seen recently.  But, in my 23 years with HCA, my main desire is that we would be seen as an authentic Christian school community.  

For those who have been believers for a long time, you know that true Christianity is not an easy life.  Trusting in a God you cannot physically see is challenging, especially when dealing with humans each day whom you can see (and hear).  In the effort to be authentic in our Christian faith at school, we have never claimed to be sinless or perfect in any way.  Instead, we believe we are a collection of flawed, sin-stained individuals who are actively and collectively seeking a Savior.  That is what we do each day on campus...we study academics to develop our understanding of the world and humanity, with the end goal of knowing the one who can point us to truth.  And, we do believe that absolute truth exists, as clearly stated in God's word to us and in the incarnation of His Son.  (John 17:17, 14:6)

But, even as those who make every attempt to hear from the Lord and understand His will, life can be frustrating.  We all have an impatient nature to want what we want, right now.  It starts immediately from the womb, and never ceases.  Sometimes our wants are purely selfish (a certain vacation, a particular home or car, as much money as our neighbor, etc.), and other times our wants are seemingly good things (healing from sickness, enough money to pay the power bill, reconciliation with a family member) that just don't seem to be happening for reasons unknown to us.  

A Sunday School teacher once told me that God has three answers to our questions, "Yes", "No", and "Not Yet".  While the "yes" answer is always satisfying, and is the one that we like to post about on social media, the other two answers can confound us, especially as we become adults who feel we have matured to the point where we can be granted our requests without challenge.  But, from a spiritual standpoint, we have to remember that we are God's children and He is our Father.  

When my teenage kids ask if they can go to a party because everyone else is going, I might say "yes" and I might say "no", based on the facts I know about the party and about my child.  I might also say, "not yet", if I don't feel my child has the maturity to handle these situations well, but in a year, they may gain that trust.  Regardless of what my answer is, it is always grounded in unconditional love for my child to do what is in their best interest.  Might they get angry if I say "no"?  Of course.  But, the fact is they have not gained the life experience to know what is best for them quite yet.  So, they need a father (or mother, as the case may be).  It is just as difficult for that teenager to trust his father at that moment in time as it is for God's children to trust His answers, but in both cases, a loving father has chosen to provide for and to protect his child, whether they understand that or not.  

HCA Employees in the fall of 2006.  You may
still see a few familiar faces!

In November, 2006, Hickory Christian Academy moved onto the campus we now enjoy.  We had 278 students at that time, spread over three church campuses in town.  While we had desired to move years before, God's timing was perfect, and the space was exactly what we needed.  However, we knew the growth was likely to continue, and we continued to pray for God to provide what we needed for the long term.  The easy solution seemed to be the building next door at the city park.  The location and size were ideal.  But, all conversations with the city about this property were quickly shut down.  It seemed God had clearly answered "no".  

In the fall of 2013, our enrollment had increased to 414 students, and we were again out of space.  Simultaneously, God had blessed Hickory Bible Church with growth and a new campus across town.  The church moved in September the next year, just in time for HCA to fill what is now our middle school building (as well as full use of the chapel building).  This gave us what we needed for the near future, but again, we believed that the growth would continue.  Since then, we have increased to about 520 students, again in need of solutions for space.  In the meantime, multiple school boards have painstakingly looked into land and property opportunities.  We have literally entertained a half dozen possibilities, but nothing ever fully developed.  All the while, we continued to ask about the property next door.  Literally a few times per year for 15 years we asked the question, and continued to get the same answer.  

Current Board Chairman, Justin Query,
and I celebrating closing on the new property!

Fortunately, while the answer from the city was "no", the answer from God was "not yet".  He knew what we needed, and He knew exactly when we would have to have it.  In each recent year we have examined our current space and had doubts that we could make it work, but every year there was a solution.  It wasn't until now that the viable solutions have vanished.  We are truly packed out in every classroom and the interest in our school continues to increase.  So, in His perfect timing and according to His will, it took 15 years to purchase the property next door.   But, on December 20, 2022, we finally closed on the deal and took ownership.  

There is still a ton of work to do to get this new property ready for HCA to grow into, but even though it was often painful and frustrating to wait, I am thankful that God chose to hold off on us paying for a new property, power bill, extra employees, etc. until we were ready.  He waited until we were debt free before we took on this new project.  He waited until we had enough families in the school to stand a chance of a successful capital campaign.  So, while we didn't get what we wanted exactly when we wanted it, we now have what we need in much better shape as a school than if He had given it to us way back then.  

I am sharing this as a celebration of God's continued provision for our school, and I am sharing this because many of us have things in our lives that we want right now, and the Lord does not seem to be listening.  As children, sometimes we just have to trust our Father, even when it doesn't make sense in our own minds.  

I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.  - Psalm 27:13-14