Dear Parents,

Our theme this month at Trinity is patience. This is arguably one of the most difficult virtues to develop, in a world that is all about instant gratification. Our society is geared towards taking shortcuts for everything: whether in the way we eat (fast food, UBER Eats, or making things in an “InstaPot”), take care of our bodies (super pills to cure anything from health to weight loss), or collect information (headlines or short clips to summarize complex problems). Everything about our culture is geared towards a fast and often reckless pace.

In contrast, God paints a very different picture of the way we are called to live. Romans 12:12 says, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” First of all, our joy comes from the hope that we have in Christ, not from being able to do everything that is thrown our way. Furthermore, Paul suggests that patience is actually developed out of affliction or difficulty. This is certainly not the most comfortable way to live and goes against our human nature. Many times it has been said that the last thing one should pray for is patience, as what comes next is a series of difficult situations that God will allow us to go through. Bruce Lee suggests, “Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.”

Ultimately, patience will shape us into the men and women that God has called us to be. The French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau concludes that “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.” We also learn from this verse that the key ingredient is prayer. As we partner with God, He gives us the strength to persevere, as patience is worked out in us. We desire to help each child at Trinity bear the fruit of patience, which will help them blossom both in the present and the future.

Sincerely,
J-D Lussier, Principal