The first virtual Eagle Mama of the school year kicked off with an inspiring virtual message from Eagle mama of two, Jerica Olson. Hosted by the Legacy Christian Academy Parent Teacher Fellowship, the luncheon is held once a quarter and welcomes LCA mothers and their guests to come together for a time of joy-filled fellowship and encouragement.
Diving into her message, Jerica shared that in developing a vision for this new school year, her prayer was, “All right, this is where we’re at right now, God. And what is it that the women need right now?” Because of that prayer, she felt God wanted her listeners to be encouraged, strengthened, and filled with hope. Her message, “Soul Anchor: Staying Steady in the Storm,” focused on holding fast to faith in Jesus–the soul anchor–amidst life's storm.
Unpacking Hebrews 12:1, Jerica also focused on remembering the stories of the great cloud of witnesses that have run the race of life before us. What are things that get in the way of our faith and the running of this race? Jerica encouraged her audience to make a list: things like “fear, anxiety, worry, uncertainty, sadness, loss, depression, despair.” When we are in the storm, it can be hard to be aware of anything outside the storm. Therefore, Jerica pointed back to the verse, it is vital to keep our eyes fixed on the anchor–Jesus.
Jerica went on to draw from the testimonies of two heroes of faith featured in Hebrews 11. The first, Noah, was called blameless and upright in the midst of an evil generation. He walked with God. When God gave him commands, Jerica noted that Noah did three things: he listened, believed, and built. His obedience, day by day and board by board, saved his life and those of his family members.
The second hero, Rahab, lived in a pagan city and worked in a “less than desirable career choice”; still, she trusted God. She risked her life by kindly treating God’s people, obediently trusting God, and waiting for deliverance rather than running. Like with Noah, God could have provided immediate escape for Rahab. Instead, she was instructed to stay. To risk. To trust. “Her faith,” Jerica emphasized, “covered her during collapse.”
If Noah and Rahab were speaking to her audience, Jerica speculated, daily obedience might be one of their key points. Such obedience is not always glamorous and might appear crazy or not “normal” to others. But, what sets the bar for “normal”? It is different for everyone, and even our own normal can change, like Noah's did before and after the flood. God can interrupt our normal and give us a better one that perhaps we did not even know was possible. Living in obedience challenges us to overcome others' perceptions of what our race supposedly should look like, as well as our own reservations about how qualified we are to accomplish our purpose.
As Jerica wrapped up her message, she reminded her audience, “Sometimes our greatest transformations come during a collapse.” Looking back on our life’s storms, we can see destruction or deliverance. We can fix our eyes on the problems, the negatives, and the cons of our circumstances; but instead, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, our hope. Let us throw off the things that hold us back from full faith. Let us recall testimonies of God’s faithfulness. Let us run the race with endurance. And let us lead the way to life for the next generation by staying steady in the storm.
Legacy Christian Academy is Frisco's preeminent Pre-K through 12 Christian school committed to educating students in a college preparatory environment balanced in academics, athletics, and fine arts–all within the context of a biblical worldview. For more information on Legacy, visit our admissions page.