Graduates, a significant journey is ending for you.  No doubt you’re eager to get going on the next one.  But savor the moment - they don’t come often in life and thank God.  Education is a profound gift.  You’re probably receiving a lot of advice.  But before you set off down the winding road before you, here are a couple thoughts to help you.  The Road to Joy Is Hard “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:14)

Your journey’s going to be very hard at times.  Other roads will look more appealing – and much easier.  Beware.  And don’t let anyone tell you that life is all about the journey.  It’s not.  The journey is all about the destination.  What matters most is where you end up. (1 Timothy 6:19)   Seek the greatest treasure.  If God is your treasure, you’ll gain everything.  If He’s not, you’ll lose it all.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5–6)

There will be times it will look to you like God’s promises are not real.  I can’t stress this enough - don’t trust your perceptions.  I have learned this lesson over the past 30 years and tell you the truth:  Not once have God’s promises failed me, but my perceptions have failed me again and again.

Another thing, ask God for everything.  The world tells you that you are the master of your fate, and you must fend for yourself.  But God wants you to believe that you “cannot receive even one thing unless it is given [you] from heaven” (John 3:27) and that “apart from [Jesus] you can do nothing” (John 15:5).  Jesus invites you to ask, seek, and knock.  Take Him up on it.

Always remember, Jesus wants you to be you.  He wants you to become a more sanctified, excellent you (1 Thessalonians 4:3).  You bear God’s image in a unique way.  You have a unique calling on your life.  You will be tempted along the way to compare yourself with others.  Sometimes you will feel superior:  sometimes you will feel inferior.  In all your comparisons, Jesus’s word to you will be, “follow Me.”  At the end of your journey, all that will matter is whether or not you faithfully stewarded what Jesus entrusted to you.  

And hey, good job!!! Tom