Changing Lives

Ms. Susan Rackley, Principal

When Abram prostrated himself, God spoke to him: "My covenant with you is this: you are to become the father of a host of nations No longer shall you be called Abram; your name shall be Abraham, for I am making you the father of a host of nations. I will render you exceedingly fertile; I will make nations of you; kings shall stem from you. I will maintain my covenant with you and your descendants after you throughout the ages as an everlasting pact, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land in which you are now staying, the whole land of Canaan, as a permanent possession; and I will be their God."

–GN17:3-8

Several thoughts raced through my head:

1) Abraham must have been overwhelmed when he heard all of this. What a way to change someone ’ s life in just a few moments.

2) How long did it take Abraham to get used to the idea that because he was faithful his life was forever changed?

3) How did he feel to have his name changed? Our identity is so tied into our name, how did that change affect Abraham and the way he thought of himself or how did others react when he told them that God had changed his name?

4) Did Abraham really comprehend the magnitude of how God was blessing and rewarding him for his faith?

I realize there are no answers to questions about events that occurred thousands of years ago, but in our corner of the world, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, we might begin to understand and relate to what Abraham experienced.

We - the teachers, the staff, the board, the students, the families, and the community - have been called - just as God called Abraham - to be a part of changing the lives of our students. Our experiences are not nearly as dramatic as Abraham’s, but here we are, and change these lives we shall do to the best of our abilities. That’s what faith does for us. It leads us to be a part of something like San Miguel. And even though we may never see the fruits of our labor, we ’ ve at least provided our students with the opportunities and the tools so they may change their lives and the lives of their families, just as God changed Abraham’s life and those that came after him.

Everyone’s journey is different and full of ups, and downs, good, bad, devastating, and fulfilling; it doesn’t matter how we get here, just as long as we do.

Another one of the questions posed during my meditation this morning was “If your name was changed, what would it be changed to?” the name that popped into my head was “Esperanza”. It is Spanish for hope.

These students are our hearts and our hope. They are our reason for being here. It is an honor, a privilege, and a blessing to be part of a place where everything we do centers around our students.

The bonus: they change our lives as well.

I’ll take that trade-off every day of the week.

ABRIL