"My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.” John 10:27
My husband and I are extremely blessed that we get to live across the street from our grandchildren. Visits are frequent and joyful, but one day last month, there was tremendous excitement as they came through the door and announced.
“Papa guess what? We’re getting a puppy and when we go on vacation, you get to watch him!”
And so the count down and anticipation for little “Cheerio” and his arrival into the Palka family began. Finally, last Wednesday, Cheerio was old enough to leave his breeder and enter into his forever home!
I have to admit, it is so much fun having a puppy back in our family. Moreover, it is even more endearing watching how attentive Cheerio is to listening to and following our grandchildren. When one of them leaves the room, he immediately follows. When they sit down, he lays right next to them. And, when they call his name, he engages his little puppy prance and races towards them. It is very apparent that even in such a short period of time, Cheerio has fallen in love with his new family and has become extremely loyal, and in return, his family is obsessed with him!
There is so much that we can learn from dogs, especially in comparison to our spiritual lives!
In a similar fashion, it is our hope that our students will fall madly in love and become extremely loyal to our Heavenly Master Jesus Christ and attentively follow Him throughout their entire lives.
Just as Cheerio is so dependent upon his new family to take care of all of his needs, we want our students to become “God-reliant” and depend on Him to take care of all of their needs. Likewise, just as Cheerio needs to be lovingly redirected when he tries to do something that may cause himself harm, our Heavenly Father affectionately guides, directs, and protects us on a daily basis.
In addition, when God calls them to do something, it is our hope that our young disciples will come running and willing to serve in any capacity that will help others and populate Heaven in the process.
Most importantly, we want our students to seek and listen to His voice! In this world, there are so many harmful distractions, and Satan would love to lure our children down ungodly paths. That is why it is imperative that we lay a strong Biblical foundation for our children and teach them how to discern and follow God’s voice in all that they do.
Just as a new puppy learns to walk closely to his master, as we begin this 2025/2026 school year, we look forward to partnering with you and the Holy Spirit as we encourage our students to always walk closely to Jesus and follow Him, because His way is always better!
Looking forward to a wonderful year!
Mrs. Palka