Dear Graduates:

You’re not home yet. You’ve been sadly misled to think that this world has something to offer you. It doesn’t. The reality is that you are a stranger here, a traveler who hasn’t yet arrived safely home. You are passing through, sojourning steadily until you reach that final destination, and your eyes lay hold of the place that has been prepared for you. It’s hard to hear, but it’s not here.

The next step in your journey is in many ways the biggest one yet. There are new freedoms to enjoy, new horizons to set after, new boundaries to establish, new relationships to embrace. With these next ten years come shattered wishes, broken promises, intellectual enlightenment, and surprising emptiness. You will likely question your faith, ignore your family, wander from Jesus, follow your thoughts, defend your reasoning, challenge your worldview, and wallow in meaningless. Trials will pound you, temptations will haunt you, fears will bind you, sin will blind you, Satan will find you, and your past will remind you. But God will also be there to guide you.

His way is narrow. His road is tough. God’s path is steep, and barely traveled.
Few find it. You’ve been shown the way to walk, now the choice is in your hands. Don’t lose heart. Don’t fear. Be strong and courageous, because God is with you. You’re about to become a statistic: you’re either an evangelical Christ-follower who will abandon their faith in college, or one who will change the current tide. You are either a thermometer or thermostat. You’ll either be changed, or make change. Mom and dad can’t defend you anymore. It’s in your hands now. Are you ready?

These are the last words of wisdom before you enter the world, and I hope you listen well:
Rise early.
Drive slower.
Eat lighter.
Work out.
Read often.
Walk fervently.
Pray earnestly.
Seek diligently.
Abide closely.
Lead gently.
Live humbly.
Speak gladly.
Smile hourly.
Laugh daily.
Listen deeply.
Choose joy.
Try harder.
Give generously.
Serve faithfully.
Go frequently.
Play hard.
Work hard.
Sleep hard!
Do something once a day that surprises you.
Take the commands of scripture literally and practice what you already believe.
Make time to call your grandparents and just chat.
Fast once a week and don’t tell anyone. Use that day to spend time praying and seeking God’s will for your life.
Find those people in your life with the most needs, and encourage them.
Pat people on the back when you greet them. Use a firm handshake.
Wait for God’s timing for your future spouse. They are out there somewhere…
Start each morning praying and worshiping. Let the first words out of your mouth be a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord. Let your last words of the day be the same.
If you doubt what you believe, study it even deeper. Don’t abandon it because another argument comes along. Press in and discover the heart of God.
Nothing is beneath you, so be willing to feed the pigs. Eventually you’ll enjoy the fattened calf.
Act confidently, even if you’re acting. You’ll be surprised how you feel and look.
Find your clothes at Goodwill, and buy a lot! Then when you are done with an outfit, bring it back to Goodwill. People need jobs and the clothes rock.
Reduce your carbon footprint. Do so by losing weight or amputating your feet.
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, because difficult days lie ahead.
Never forget those who have gone before you. They know what’s in store.
Listen. Then keep listening. Once you get it, then speak.
The most important thing in life is this: _______________.
How are you going to fill in that blank? It’s up to you.

Thanks for letting us have such a small part in your life. We love you and are praying for success and blessing in all you endeavor to do.
God bless you.