At Glenmore Rd Public school in Paddington, Sydney, students got a chance to write to their favourite actors, singers & other world-renowned personalities to ask them one simple question: “Can you please tell me the most important thing you have learnt in life?”
Some of the replies they received back were:
Russell Crowe: To breathe in more than I breathe out.
Cathy Freeman: Our doubts of today that limit our realisations of tomorrow.
Paul Kelly: Family & friends are more important than fame & fortune
Margaret Thatcher: Always do your best, nothing else is good enough.
Sarah O’ Hare: Believe in yourself 100% & never stop learning.
Bill Clinton: Reading. I began reading at the age of 2 & I hope reading will always be as important in your life as it has been in mine.
Keiran Perkins: Chase your goals & never stop dreaming.
Dick Smith: Always ask advice & surround myself with capable people.
John Eales: Try as hard as I can at whatever I do & enjoy my life, my friends, my family.
Roy Slaven: To be on your toes, have your eyes peeled & always be prepared to either attack or defend.
H.G. Nelson: If in doubt, it is worth a shout & wet or dry, it is worth a try. This has always turned me round & got me going forward in a tight corner when the dingoes had boxed me in. Go in hard!
Aaron Baddeley: The most important things I have learnt in my life are to love, trust & follow the Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ, & to follow your dreams, no matter how big or small. You can do anything if you dedicate yourself & put your mind to it.
Which of these people really shared with these kids what was really important in their life? Aaron Baddeley wasn’t afraid to share what his life focussed on and what his life is all about. Jesus Christ. If only all Christians were this outspoken and passionate in getting young people on the rite track as they start the journey’s into the realms of life.
In the bible recorded down in Mark 12, Jesus was also asked about what the most important thing (or commandment to be specific) was to understand and follow. Like these kids at Glenmore Rd Public School, it was important to ask important and high profile people and Jesus was as high profile as you could get in those days. Jesus answered the man by saying this…
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
If we are to take on board the most important thing in our lives, let our lives be like Aaron Baddeley’s or even someone like Tim Tebow (Quarterback of the Denver Bronco’s). Let our lives start shaping kids lives and get them started on the rite track to salvation and eternal life in Jesus Christ.