Graduation Test

Many of us are consumed this time of year with graduation plans. Whether we are the one throwing our cap in the air, or we are the parent, grandparent, or friend of a graduate, excitement fills our hearts for what the future holds! The diploma or degree we now hold in our hands means we can start our future on a solid foundation as we go forward. 

Here’s a question: What were you doing in the summer at age 10? Maybe jumping rope was your favorite thing to do. Or skateboarding on the hills of your neighborhood. Building the next biggest dollhouse with Legos. Or do you remember how to play jacks and ball?

Whatever it was, most of us at age 10 were not busy framing our newly acquired, four-year degree like Michael Kearney! He earned an anthropology degree before he could vote!

Favorite Activity
We, too, have great hopes of what we want to do with our lives now that we are on our own. A temporary summer job or internship may just be the starting point for re-creating a new life. Most likely, we have skills we have never tried using in the past even if we have never been employed. Valuable talents and gifts were given to us by God that can now be put to good use. Have you ever:

--Organized a group of parents to raise school funds?

--Opened your home to preschool kids while their mom worked?

--Cooked and catered an event?

--Used a computer for data entry?

--Walked all the neighborhood dogs?

The list goes on and on, but now you can use all that volunteering experience to earn money! What’s your favorite activity? That is most likely your talent. Try it!

You think you are too old for something new? Don’t tell that to Annie Dillard from South Carolina who earned her bachelor’s degree in her late 30s and yet another associates degree at age 92. She says, “My advice is you can make it if you try, but you have to start somewhere.” Dillard still plans to go back for more schooling! Wow!

Annie would make a great friend with Mozelle Richardson, who published her ninth book at age 94 and holds the Guinness Book of World Records for earning a journalism degree from Oklahoma University at age 90. Mozelle is 104 years old this year.

The F Word
No! No! No! It’s not what you think. We are talking about what got these brilliant people, young and not-so-young, to a point of never giving up on life. We don’t know their circumstances for sure, but maybe their lives were wonderful and tied up with a pretty pink bow. But then again, maybe they had so many serious challenges that they were determined to make the best of what they had in their hands and change their expected paths.

These amazing people most probably were close friends with the F Word: F-a-i-t-h. None of us can get anywhere without it. How do we know? Because none of us can exist without believing in something or someone. We’ve all been there. When we put our trust in worldly things such as more and more money, possessions, promotions, and immoral pleasures (just to name a few), we can’t expect it will last. It never does. It turns to rust and decay and eventually disappoints us.

Faith isn’t anything we can see. It’s a special “graduation” gift from God that will drive us straight to his best plan and purpose for our lives. When will you open your gift?

“It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6 The Message).