Well Done

by Dick Buckingham

Administrator

Some of you may have just thought of your favorite cut of steak cooked to perfection.  The juicy thought makes your mouth water in anticipation.  However, that is not the kind of “well done” I had in mind.

Last week, Faith Christian School had the privilege of hosting an accreditation site visit team from Christian Schools International (CSI).  This was the culmination of a years-long process to provide outside certification of what we have been faithfully doing for our 25 years of existence.  Being accredited, while not required for private Christian schools, does provide a number of benefits for students who attend when it comes to applying to colleges and universities and transferring credits to other high schools around the country.  While it was not a critical step to take in the earlier years of our school existence, it has become increasingly more important over the past couple of years.  With the onset of many other educational choices for students such as charter schools and online schools, accreditation is the simplest way for a school receiving a student to have confidence that the previous educational institution was doing things well and up to acceptable standards.

We rejoice that the team from CSI voted unanimously to accredit Faith with no exceptions or provisions.

While that is really wonderful and something we praise God for, far greater were the words the team spoke to us in commendation about what they observed as they intensely looked at our school, examined our staff and students, and asked some deep, probing questions for two days.  Essentially, the team said to the Faith Christian School board, administration, staff, parents and students, “Well done.”

Well done.  How incredible those words are!  What life they give to our soul!  This year’s spiritual theme at FCS comes from I Corinthians 9:24, “Run the race in such as way as to win the prize.”  What we have related to our students is that the race we are running is our lives and the prize we are seeking is nothing less than to hear our Lord God say to us at the end when we finish, “Well done!”

Those two little words carry such great impact on us as they recognize what we have done and express the contentment and pleasure of the One who is speaking them to us.  I can say without hesitation that it is not the praise of men that I long for.  It is not to make a name for myself or to have some legacy that memorializes my life.  The one thing I want more than anything else is to hear the voice of my Savior say, “Well done!”

Yet, when I heard these words from the accreditation team, I realized how I much I benefit from hearing that from others.  These words not only justify what I have done and the sacrifices I may have made, but they propel me to strive for even greater heights.  They empower me to try things I may have only dreamed of doing before.

Well done.  Two little words, very easy to say.  Two words we all have in our vocabulary and available to use as often as we like.  Two words that will lift the spirits of the people in our lives and cause them to seek loftier goals.

When was the last time you said “Well done” to someone important in your life?  Your children?  I am in my mid 50s and my dad is over 80, yet I love when he tells me that he is proud of me.  Your spouse?  Nothing means more to me than to have my wife tell me she appreciates some small thing that I have done for her.  Your pastor?  Your teacher? Your boss?  Your co-worker or classmate?  You can add to the list.

You have an incredibly powerful tool available to you to bless and encourage others.  Who will you say, “Well done” to today?