We experience lots of changes this time of year. The grass is greener, the flowers are blooming, and many baby birds have flown out of the nest. Many couples are planning their weddings and contemplating a new life together. Graduates are looking to the future, and their lives are changing in a big way.
Graduates of any kind are entering a new phase of life. Kindergarten graduation is the first official graduation in children’s lives. They are putting their big boy pants on and going to school. More will be expected of them now, because they will be in first grade.
High School graduation is probably one of the most intimidating for most young people. For the last thirteen years, their days have been planned. Monday through Friday they get up and get dressed then head off to school. After school hours are different according to the individual, but seven hours of the day are the same for everyone. They are a routine they are used to. Many can’t wait to graduate… until after they do.
Graduation is the next step in life. The young person has to decide, “Where do I go from here?” Some young people choose to work and save some money for school or the future. Some learn a trade, either by apprenticeship or taking a course at a trade school or community college. Others enroll in the college world and know what they want to do, while many are still undecided and take introductory courses suitable for all degrees.
I know that many people contemplate how to make the most money without hating their job. Others want to do something exciting. While others just want to be on their own and not have any rules. I always laugh on the inside when I hear that one. As an adult, I have more rules than I ever had as a teenager. Most of the time, graduates are unsure of what they want to do, but they may have a general idea of where their interests lie.
As a Christian, a young person needs to seek God for his direction. God is not going to lead them down the wrong path. Why don’t young people ask God what He wants them to do? Is it perhaps because they have never seen the adults in their lives seek God’s will in their decisions? Is it because they have heard their parents discuss money and problems, but they don’t ever hear them say, “We need to pray about it and see what God wants us to do?” I hope they hear those words. It is not always a parent’s fault when their children falter, but we must ask ourselves this question. Are we a good example for our children? Do we rest in God’s promises when things go wrong? Do we trust Him when we are unsure of ourselves, or do we panic and try to figure things out on our own?
Your graduates need you right now more than ever. They are walking into a new world, and they want you to think they have it all together. But I promise, they are nervous and scared. Be sure you have given them the tools to navigate the road ahead of them.
One day they will graduate into a marriage that will require their dependence on God more than anything they have ever done. When things aren’t going well, will they know how to handle the problems? Have you laid the groundwork for them? Are the tools in their hands?
Next, you receive the gift of grandchildren. This is another graduation for you and your children. I know it was for me. It is a job knowing when to keep my mouth shut and not interfering, yet showing concern when it is appropriate. Being a grandparent is a joy, but it hurts just as much when grandchildren get hurt or falter as when it was your own children. We thought life would get easier when all of our children graduated into adulthood and had their own families, but it didn’t. It gets tougher because there are so many more children to love and ways to be hurt. That being said, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
If graduation signifies a change in one’s life, getting old meets the requirement. Life just gets a little harder. You don’t notice it as much on the inside, but you sure notice it on the outside. My body grows weary faster, and my steps do get a little slower. As we get older and suffer hurt knees or sore muscles, it takes a little longer to heal. I must admit, my mind isn’t as sharp as it used to be, but I still give the younger generation a challenge or two.
As I get older, I have seen more of the final graduations. Both of my parents and my husband’s parents are with Jesus now. Many of our friends have gone to be with the Lord. Death is the most important graduation of all. We must all be ready for it. If we are ready, it is the happiest day of our lives. We get to meet Jesus and see our Savior. We don’t have any aches and pains, and our lives have completed their purpose. Our loved ones will be sad, but we will see them again if they know the Savior. I am glad I am prepared for that day.
But for those that are not prepared for their final graduation, it is the saddest day of their lives. They will not go to be with the Savior, but they are doomed for an eternity in hell. For the rest of eternity, they will be suffering and remembering the opportunities they had to meet the Savior. What a sad day!
It is so important to be ready for our final graduation. Are you ready? If you are, how about those that you love? Will their deaths be happy days or a sad ones? What about the world? What are we doing to bring them to Jesus?
We must bring them all to Jesus, so no graduation will be a sad one!
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Mark 16:15.
Mrs. Worthington has five children and twelve grandchildren. She serves as Principal of Pathway Christian Academy in Goldsboro.