Christ-Centredness

In our Christian school, one of our Core Values is “Christ Centredness”.

Perhaps Christ-centredness sounds a bit mystical and mysterious but it is not. Christ-centredness couldn’t be simpler. It just means putting the teachings of Jesus at the centre of all our words and all our actions. Christ-centredness means that our decisions are made in a way that puts Jesus’ teachings at the centre of every decision.

Here are some examples:

Perhaps I could get some task done quicker by telling a little harmless lie. But Jesus teaches us to be truthful, so being Christ-centred means that we don’t tell the lie. Sure, then we get that task done a little slower than we would have, but that’s ok, because being Christ-centred is our Core Value and that means putting the teaching of Jesus about being truthful ahead of our desire to get the task done quickly.

Another example of being Christ-centred would be in the situation where we could ignore a particular person because we think they are unimportant. This could happen at Coles checkout. We could treat the person behind the cash-register like they are just an extension of the cash-register and not a valuable person. However, if we can’t be bothered being polite and valuing a person, then we are not being Christ-centred. Jesus taught us that everyone is equally important; no one less, no one more. Therefore, being Christ-centred will mean we care just as much about people we find boring and people we find exciting. Jesus teaches us that all people are equally important.

Here’s another one… if someone gossips about me and I find out about it, I can hold it over them for years. I can hold a grudge. I can mention it to others and make the one who wronged me feel ashamed. I can really make an effort to punish that person who gossiped about me. I can humiliate them. Or I can be Christ-centred and follow Jesus teaching that we should quickly forgive those who wrong us. The chance to forgive is a wonderful gift from God.

Are you noticing that lots of people these days want to fly into affronted outrage? It seems to be almost trendy or cool to make other people feel silly or small. No, that is not Christ-centredness. Jesus taught us that we should lift others up. We should make them feel fully human and never diminish others.

Parents and staff let’s demonstrate Christ-centredness to our children. Let’s teach our students that Christ-centredness takes courage and commitment but it is worth it. We can show our learners what it is to be selfless and truthful and generous and kind. Jesus’ teachings include all the lovely attributes that we want for our children, so we can kick-start the transformation by doing Christ-centredness ourselves. Let’s follow the teachings of Jesus.

David gleeson, principal