‘Whatever you do, don’t get out of your tent.’
I remembered this warning shortly after being awoken by a very loud snorting noise just outside our tent. Opening the zip and peering into the darkness, I could see the outline of a hippopotamus eating grass about two metres away. For a moment, I felt that the concrete toilet block 15 metres away would be a safer place to shelter.
But knowing that the hippo is one of the most dangerous land animals in Africa, I had the sense to follow the advice my safari guide had given the previous day. My friend Michelle and I giggled nervously and tried to calm each other down. I eventually fell back into a light and fitful sleep.
A number of elephants and hippos grazed and roamed throughout the campsite that night but left our tents untouched.
“As I leave my role as Deputy Principal at Calvin at the end of the week...”
The safari guide later explained that the animals saw the tent as a large rock or boulder so they simply grazed around it, avoiding any contact. So leaving the tent to face the large mammal or run away may have led to an unfortunate outcome!
I have often reflected on this memory from the upper banks of the Zambezi River. Though nearly 30 years have passed since I lay in that tent, I can still remember my conflicting thoughts and emotions with only a piece of canvas separating us from an untamed 1500kg animal.
When faced with anxiety or uncertainty in life, it can often seem that the best response is to run away or to fight. We rely on our own logic or give in to our emotions and desires, running around endlessly in an attempt to find happiness, peace or certainty. But sometimes our best defence is to stop and rest in the shelter that is protecting us and keeping us safe, as unnatural as that may feel.
It is not always easy to trust in something that our logical minds cannot fully comprehend.
As I leave my role as Deputy Principal at Calvin at the end of the week, my prayer is that, as members of the Calvin school community, we will continue to find meaning, protection and comfort from the divine source, not in the seemingly logical offerings of the world. In our modern context, we are bombarded by messages that emphasise personal happiness, professional success, monetary wealth and inner peace as the ultimate goal for a fulfilled life. Trusting in something outside of ourselves can seem irrational and foolish. Yet in Psalm 91, David expresses the peace that he has found in God in the midst of conflict and turmoil in his own circumstances.
Thank you for the wonderful opportunity to serve the Calvin community over the past 15 years. I have been honoured to work alongside a number of inspirational leaders, teachers, support staff and parents who have amazed me in their commitment to Christian education. I have been blessed by thousands of students who have joined me in a journey of learning at Calvin over the past decades. While there may be many obstacles and challenges before you, my prayer is that you will be able to ‘rest in the shadow of the Almighty by dwelling in the shelter of the Most High’ (Psalm 91:1) as you continue to serve at Calvin Christian School.
Bonny Moroni - Deputy Principal