Friday Assembly: Headmaster’s Address (January 27, 2017)
Proverbs 22:1 (NKJV)
A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
Loving favor rather than silver and gold.
Do you know one of the things I like? One of the things I really like? Riches. You know why? Because if I had riches, I could buy the really big Lego sets. You know—like the Death Star, the ones that cost over a hundred dollars. If I had riches, I could buy a car, a really nice car, like an Aston Martin. Riches are a good thing. If I had enough riches, I could build our very own school building, complete with a basketball court, an archery range, and a library like the one in the Beast’s castle. It would be nice to have riches.
This proverb has a lesson to teach us. There is something even greater than riches that we should desire. We must grow to be men and women who desire a good name above riches and all the nice things that riches bring.
What exactly is a good name? Today we call having a good name: character. What does it mean to have character? It means that you are known for your actions. If you have done good in the past, people can rightfully expect that you will do good in the future.
If you have turned your homework in on time many Fridays in the past, your teacher can rightfully trust that you will turn your homework in on time this Friday. If you have spoken kindly and respectfully for the first half of the school year, your friends can rightfully trust that you will speak kindly and respectfully for the second half of the school year.
How you act will define what people think of you. Will they think you are trustworthy, truthful, and friendly? Or will your past actions make them think you are unreliable, deceitful, and unkind?
I want you all to have a good name. I want this school to have a good name. The first step in having a good name is to properly value the worth of it. It is better than gold and silver.
Paideia Living 