A word to high school graduates, I challenge you to take some things with you as you leave home…
1. Take with you your parents’ love. I know this goes without saying but you should hear it said by someone who is not a relative. Your parents love you and they want what is best for you. That’s why they have given eighteen years of service, money, energy, prayers, and much time to your growth. They love you. When things get hard, if you fail a test or fail a class, remember that your parents love you. When your parents love you, there is always room to rebuild.
2. Take with you your church’s love. Beyond the love of your parents you have a church family who loves you. They have watched you grow up. They have been your Bible class teachers. They have hugged you. They prayed for you when you were sick or when you participated in sports activities or when you traveled. When life gets difficult, when you feel that you are passing through a valley and you can’t see the mountain on the other side, remember that your church family loves you.
3. Take with you wisdom. The next four or five years will move you from childhood, or better said, adolescence, to adulthood. That movement requires a lot of wisdom. The Bible teaches that if we need wisdom, we are to ask of God (James 1:5). Pray for God to guide you. He will not speak to you or nudge you to make this decision or that decision. But He will open doors for you to help you choose the right path. I want to encourage you to keep God’s will in front of your eyes at all times.
4. Take with you patience. There is an old saying, “Rome was not built in a day.” Neither were great achievements accomplished in a day. You may get frustrated because you cannot understand some concept in class. Be patient with yourself. Be patient when it comes to finding a partner for life. Do not get deceived by the devil into believing that you have to marry the first guy/girl who shows interest in you. Be patient with God. Let Him guide you in the right direction. Be patient in developing a career and a family. Don’t think that as soon as you get out of college, you should have the same living standards as your parents do now. They’ve had 25+ years to build what they have. Start small. Start simple. Be patient.
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5. Take Jesus with you. I should hope by now that your faith is your own, that you are not living by the faith of your parents. Jesus wants to be your Savior and Guide as much as He wants to be your parents’ Savior and Guide. Walk with Him daily. Develop a daily Bible reading schedule and stick with it. Add prayer to that too and keep a running prayer list of concerns you need to lay before your Father in heaven. Read solid Bible study books that will feed your mind. These types of things will help you keep your feet grounded in spiritual matters even as physical matters dominate your life and mind. Find a church where you can worship according to the biblical pattern and where you can be an active and productive member. It will also help you keep your feet grounded in spiritual realities.
If you want to have Jesus bless your work, then you need to follow and obey Him. It will not do to ask for Jesus’ help when you are ignoring His basic commands for you. Take Jesus with you.
Your parents’ love. Your church’s love. Wisdom. Patience. Most importantly, Jesus. Speaking on behalf of your Christian family wherever they may be, I bid you Godspeed. “I commend you to God and to the Word of His Grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32).
–Paul Holland
