Graduation is a Mile Stone but Just the Beginning.

Graduation is a time of paradox—excitement combined with fear, beginnings blurred with endings, plans riddled with uncertainty. But it’s only the start of the rollercoaster called adulthood.

Here are four pieces of life advice that can support and equip you in your life as you venture into the world.

Plans and Dreams Change (But God Doesn’t). I’ve often heard, “God’s plan will take you places in your life you haven’t thought of yet.”

The pressure for a new graduate to appear successful and confident is excruciating. This is intensified by the well-meaning individuals who ask, as a form of small talk, “So, what are your plans now?” Not having a ready answer—or a traditional one—can turn a simple question into an agonizing struggle for grads who feel the pressure to perform according to everyone’s expectations.

One of the most encouraging truths you can share with a graduate is that even if their plans falter, God’s vision for their life is still secure. His purpose may (or may not) be different than what they were anticipating, but he will lead and guide them every step of the way.

A Degree Is Optional (But Integrity and Maturity Aren’t). In our culture, college has increasingly become a prerequisite for success. Going on to higher education can open a world of possibilities. Yet often we’re so busy caring about our grad’s career goals that we forget about their soul.

Colleges and degrees help graduates navigate the world of business, finances, and to get (and hold down) that little thing called a job. But there’s more to the substance of our lives. Grads need to consider their future work, but they also need to remember their souls.

Integrity, honesty, compassion, self-giving, and spiritual disciplines uphold graduates through the trials and tough times every adult faces. Focusing on the heart and pointing them to Jesus, we will encourage grads to be giving, sensitive, Christ-following individuals throughout their lives.

The World Will Tug at Your Heart (So Stand Firm). Do I need the world’s applause, approval, or acceptance? Should I alter my life to impress them, even if it’s not what would impress the Lord? Should I be swept into the current of what’s popular and lauded?

As teens head off to colleges and jobs, they’ll encounter a whole new level of peer pressure. New classmates and co-workers will influence—and perhaps change—them. Post-graduation is a season where commitments are tested and integrity tried.

That’s why it’s vital to send them off strong and equipped, committed to standing firm on truth. Point them to Scripture. Hold them accountable. Encourage them to find and join a local church. Model integrity. And most importantly, pray fervently. As you do, you’ll help them stand strong.

Keep God First (Always). The most powerful way you can help set grads up for success is by pointing them to Jesus Christ. Our human counsel can, and will, fall short. His never will.

As I think about the comments I received during graduation, I mostly heard things along the lines of “Reach for the stars” and “You’ve got this!” My friends wanted the best for me, and I’m thankful they cared enough to encourage me. But most of the words were hollow.

What if, instead of, “Reach for the stars,” we told our grads, “Reach for Jesus”? What if, instead of, “You’ve got this” we reminded them, “God’s got this”? What if we created with our words, and actions, a climate of desperate dependance on Christ? What if we prompted them to keep God first, no matter what?

We would have a generation of graduates more passionate about Jesus and more devoted to the things of God.

We only have so much influence over our graduates. So in addition to supporting them and cheering them on, point them to Jesus. And don’t forget to pray for their endeavors and successes. Pray they don’t give up after failure. Pray God leads them every day of their lives. Pray God places wise and godly people—and a healthy church—in their path. Pray they’ll stand strong and fix their eyes on Christ.

Graduation is a Milestone.

Right between high school proms and summer break, there is an important rite of passage for our community’s young adults to mark their transition into adulthood. High School graduation is often one of the most exciting times in a twelfth grader’s life. Not everyone fits the mold, though, of when life moves on. 

Some high school students graduate early, turning 18 as a junior as they’re anxious to move on it life. Others need another summer’s coursework to complete all the requirements to graduate. Truly, each child’s transition into adulthood is as unique as their own fingerprints. We all must find our way and path to get on with life.

I remember being 18, feeling caught in limbo between being a kid and being seen as a new adult. Once you reach voting age, life is different. Your choice of career impacts lives of people you never imagined you could help. Your voice, your career—they both make a difference in the future of others’ lives and who will become your future family.

Expectations for the future are high—no adult plans for a child not to succeed. They want children to do better than they did, not make the same mistakes. Along with the freedoms of graduation, many young adults enter the military, enter the workforce, or enter college. All are great choices. The most important memories to make, particularly during graduation, are to be surrounded by generations of your family who, one day, won’t always be able to join you in life celebrations.

There’s preschool graduation (into kindergarten), and kindergarten graduation (into first grade) and eighth grad graduation (into high school). That made me think about the fact that, most of our lives, we are being celebrated for moving “from one stage to another.” And, for every person who has transitioned up to senior year of high school, they’ve known what was coming next.

Often, graduates who have not yet chosen what they want to do in life find that military service provides excellent skill training, discipline and encourages a commitment to seeing tasks through to completion. After four years of doing jobs that require much discipline, students who enter college later in life tend to do exceedingly well.

Then, again, college is not for everyone. Businessman Richard Branson dropped out of high school when he was 15 and he’s done exceedingly well. Despite Aretha Franklin’s leaving high school at age 15, she has received 18 Grammys and has been awarded honorary doctorates from Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and the Berklee College of Music. 

That is very important in a young person’s life, knowing they belong, especially to a high school class of 2022, to answer to the question, “Where do you go?” That means essentially “Where do you belong?” No matter where you go, you belong, at least to your family and extended family of friends that you build in life.

Those of you who share experiences of good and bad times without fail. The contemporary term is “ride or die” friends, who always have your back, and who care if you are present or absent, who look for you when something goes wrong in life, to make sure you’re not alone in your grief. Look around you and take serious stock of who the people are in your life whom you would miss for sure if they weren’t there. 

Then, above all else, spend time with them, take photos or phone selfies, shoot videos and get their face and voice on film or phone, because in 20 years it will mean more to you than anything else you might have around you.

Dale Carnegie once said, “Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.” Congratulations to all of our area high school graduates this May. The world is yours for the taking. Enjoy your path to your future, and remember to stop and reflect along the way from time to time. It’s not the destination, but the journey that matters most. Always be moving forward as best you can. Go “to” rather than “from.” Blessings on your journey.

Things Graduates need to know...(and the rest of us too)!

Yesterday, we celebrated our high school graduates at our church. It’s always an exciting chapter turn when teens leave the proverbial nest and spread their wings and fly. Those of us who are down the road further always impart wisdom, hoping they will learn from us who have made the mistakes and want to save them the heartache. But the advice is good for all of us, no matter where you are in life. So much truth rings well if we’ll just listen.

Above all, remember, people matter.

Treat people well, not because they’ll always treat you well, but because it’s the right thing to do. This includes never stepping on anyone to step up. If you do, you’ll probably hit them again on your way down.

There honestly are very few rules.

You don’t have to go to college to be successful. You can live virtually anywhere. You don’t have to get a desk job at a big company. The longer I live, the more I realize that most of the rules we consider to be written in stone aren’t even written down.

Be completely transparent.

People don’t like what they don’t understand. Conversely, people accept what is clear. Don’t hide from reality. Speak truth into peoples’ lives. You may catch some backlash occasionally, but the people who matter will respect and cherish you for it.

Never stop learning.

Learning creates knowledge. Knowledge creates expertise. Expertise creates value. You don’t need a teacher. Read a ton and ask smart people hard questions. There are two things people love: 1) being asked for their opinions, and 2) surrounding themselves with people who want to grow.

Create value.

You aren’t entitled to earn anything. Money is one form of stored value, and it’s transferred when value is created. Figure out how to add value to other peoples’ lives and you’ll discover riches for you too.

Your network is vital.

Who you know is important. Who you matter to is even more important. Create lasting relationships by helping others, who will eventually help you. Organize those connections (I like LinkedIn), and work to maintain the relationships.

Study successful people.

Successful people figured something out. Work to figure them out. How did they become successful? What steps did they take? You’ll often find those “overnight sensations” worked hard for a very long time. Look for someone whose work or lifestyle you’d like to emulate; don’t spend time trying to replicate success you don’t even want.

Never operate from a position of fear.

Fear causes strange and terrible things to happen. It will force bad decisions, impair your logic, and drive you to behave irrationally. It also makes things seem far worse than reality. Remember, true love drives out all fear.

Be humble.

Oscar Pistorius made it to the semifinals of the 400-meter sprint in the 2012 Olympics without either of his legs. Mark Zuckerberg is a self-made billionaire at the age of 28. Even if you kill it, you’re still not Overlord of the Universe. Don’t act like it. Cockiness is a career killer. Be humble and kind.

If you do your best to emulate Jesus’ life, you’ll be well on your way to having everything that matters in this life and the next. May the Spirit lift your sails; may God light your way; may Jesus be your hero. Blessings on your journey.