By faithadmin
No, I’m not talking about Ross and Rachael or Joey and Phoebe, although that sitcom is worthy of conversation. I’m talking about the friends that you and I have. I’m not sure who you would list, but my list would include Callum, Matt and Kel.
Each of these friends represent different seasons of my life and evoke memories of great moments, experiences, adventures, disappointments and mistakes. That’s the things about friends, they are markers in our lives, for good and for bad. We call them friends because they are with us through ups and downs, easy and hard times. Friendship, personal growth, challenges, success, uncertainty, frustration and triumph go hand-in-hand. These things have marked true friendship in my life. I’m sure I’m not the first to say that the path of friendship is marked by both frustrations and satisfaction, sometimes even to the point of hurting and healing.
As our Year 12 students near the end of their schooling journey, they celebrate true friendships and move into the next season of life with memories they will carry forever. They have been challenged, and grown, been uncertain, and found success, tasted failure, and persevered. All the while they have done so imperfectly and with frailty.
Let’s talk a moment about that word frailty. It speaks of the weakness we carry within us, of being delicate, and of our faults and failings. And here is another mark of true friendship. I know the frailty carried by each of my friends, and they know mine. Sometimes they are explicitly stated, other times we just know. We carry the frailty of our friends like treasure, protecting it against outsiders and hiding it from the untrustworthy. We might gently challenge but we don’t seek to harm our friends.
Over the past 12 or so years, parents, teachers, coaches, uncles, aunties and friends have nurtured true friendship in our 2024 graduates. They have offered sage advice like “if you don’t have anything nice to say ….”. You know the rest. From the moment prep teachers welcomed little kids with bags almost as big as them into colourful classrooms and playdough, through to swimming carnivals, camps, sleepovers and on to external exam preparation, there have been loving and caring adults helping these young people navigate their friendships and frailties.
Our love and care will continue long after our students graduate and while some friendships may not continue there is a friend who loves our kids even more than we do. What a great season to remember that Jesus lay down his life for us, as friends. In John 15 he talks to his followers and says to them “You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants… instead I have called you friends…” He calls us his friends. He walks with us through the good and the bad, he hides our frailty, he protects our weakness, he heals us when we hurt, and he celebrates when we win. Perhaps the most amazing thing about the friendships offered to us by Christ is the strength it offers. The apostle Paul describes it like this “we are hard pressed but never crushed, perplexed but not in despair, struck down but not destroyed”. There is a deep unbreakable strength than comes from the friendship offered by our creator.
I have been privileged to watch these past few years as our graduates of 2024 have formed even deeper friendships with one another. They genuinely care for each other and for the community they belong to. Parents, you would be so proud to hear of how your kids speak of you. They love you so dearly and appreciate all that you have poured into them. Teachers, these students appreciate you and the care you show them on a daily basis. And to all the other adults who have nurtured friendships and guarded the frailties of our students, thank you and well done. We celebrate together and look forward to the next chapter of these remarkable friends.
Tony Longmire
Deputy Head of Secondary School – Wellbeing