During the past six days, HCA has been able to enjoy the truth of God's plan for generations to carry on the convictions and successes of our past through the youth of our future. Last Friday, we celebrated our annual Grandparents' Day. It was a wonderful event, with over 400 of our grandparents in attendance. I am so grateful for their wisdom and standards in this present life, and for the unconditional love they show their grandchildren. As we reminded them that morning, the Bible says that "Grandchildren are the crown of the aged" (Prov. 17:6). And, make no mistake about it, these grandparents wear their "crowns" with much pride!
In today's world, we have lost the value of the command to honor our parents, and too often, older folks feel forgotten or taken for granted. I hope that each of our grandparents felt that they were loved and honored last Friday morning, and that they see great worth in the educational environment their grandchildren enjoy each day at HCA. I loved interacting with them, and quickly saw how our current families at HCA got their spiritual depth and high character standards, passed down from the previous generation.Six days later, HCA was invited to participate in the Hickory National Day of Prayer event, held on the square downtown. What a blessing it is to live in a nation where prayer and freedom of religion are foundational to our culture! For the past few years, Hickory Christian Academy has been selected to lead the Educational segment of the annual prayer event. Our chapel praise team led worship, we read scripture, and then dozens of students grabbed the microphone to pray for God's mercy and grace to be on our nation, and especially on the younger generation, as they grow into tomorrow's leaders. I was so proud of our students (joined by students from other Christian schools CFA and ROC). I can honestly say that when I was their age, I didn't even know how to pray, so to hear them share their vision, desires, fears, and dreams to the God of the universe, in front of their peers is amazing, to say the least.
It is assumed that there is little to no remnant of Christianity left in our children's generation, but I am refreshed when I spend time with kids who see themselves as the spiritual future of our nation and culture, and I realize that God is still sovereign and on the throne in the hearts of those who seek Him. The parents of these kids deserve much credit for planting the seeds of the gospel in their children's hearts, and I am thankful to have been given a "watering can" at HCA to help these students continue to grow in grace.
When we chose to take our high school students to this event, we cancelled on-campus chapel for that day. Not to be outdone, the middle school students took it upon themselves to hold their own worship and prayer time. I was not in attendance for the middle school chapel, but I heard incredible things about the leadership and heart of these students. Their desire, at 12-14 years old, to worship and pray, even when the school did not formally set them up to do so is a blessing to me, and again, gives me great hope for the future. So, I say all this to say that I believe HCA is playing a key role in the spiritual foundation of our little section of North Carolina, and I am proud to be associated with such wonderful young people, parents, teachers, coaches, and staff. Thank you to each of you for the work you put into raising this generation to be the next leaders in our culture. And, thank you for listening to your parents and grandparents, as they shared wisdom and values with you as you were growing up. One generation to the next...that is the way God designed it to be.
