To the Graduates...

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 Graduates you are about to embark on a new chapter of your life. You will not feel any different than you do today, but you will have the world open itself up to you in ways you don’t even know yet. Even if you do not change addresses or immediately pack your bags ahead of graduation, people will begin to place you in a different category in their expectations of you, and for that you have absolutely no control. That is the amazing and terrifying fact of growing up. And by growing up you are about to realize a few things as you make your way in this world.

That every decision, good and bad comes with a cost. That relationships grow and shrink with the time and effort that we put into them. That being overwhelmed does not stop the world from turning and time marches on regardless of our readiness to meet its demands. With any luck you will find friendship and enmity, love and heartbreak, success and failure, people that love you no matter what, and people that never seem to be impressed by you no matter how well you do. These are not a mix of good and bad things, but a variety of experiences that you meet when you live you own authentic life. Remember as you measure the expectations of others against your own expectations of you, that no one else must or gets to live your life but you.

So, live your life unapologetically, but leave room for confession when you make the wrong call. Live your life whole but leave room for moments to be broken before your God. Live your life joyfully with joyful people but make time to carry others burdens so that you can let others help you carry your own. Life your life boldly moving forward, with room to be curious about different paths, you never know if they could be the best and most interesting detour you can make. Live your life dedicated to the important priorities that you choose but leave some room for God to work in you and through you. Make as many friends as you can, if someone tells you they have enough friends they are lying. Live your life confidently but leave room to draw on the advice and critique of those that know better. Work on being in rooms where you find yourself to be the least qualified to be there and strive to earn your seat at the table by your unique contributions rather than assimilating. The progress is slower but more lasting that way and being you will allow for much more happiness. Remember that laughter and fun is the best way to alleviate anxiety. If you stop laughing, its time to find out why. There is nothing that you cannot handle, only situations you have not handled yet. You may not know the way out, but if you keep looking up and doing the next right thing, you will soon find yourself somewhere else than you previously were.

Above all else, the best advise I can give you is the listen. Listen to others, it is amazing what people will do for you when they feel heard. Listen to your friends, so many times we have a conception of the people close to us and when we think we know them, we miss it when they grow or have new interesting ideas. Listen to your parents/grandparents/mentors, you have the right to believe with all your heart that they are wrong, but listening is free; divorces, jailtimes, evictions, and tickets are not. If your parents/grandparents/mentors were able to make it through or past some of those things, they may still make mistakes but they know something about something. Learn to listen to God. His voice is hard to hear sometimes, but it is so important. You have a direct line to the creator and sustainer of everything, and a friend in Jesus that gave you the inside pass to His throne room, you also have the Holy Spirit to bring his word to you. I will say the understatement of the year here, it might be beneficial to take advantage of that. If you talk less and listen more, people will take notice. New and interesting people will be drawn to you and they all need to hear about Jesus, whether its in a college dorm, a cattle ranch, a truck stop, or the oil field they will need what you have, which is that close and personal relationship with Jesus. Remember that while life and experience are great teachers, that the Holy Spirit of God is the best teacher. He is your helper, and if you don’t know Him it is time to listen. I would like to defer and point you to the wisest teacher and what he had to say about life in Him in John 15:1-8.

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vineyard keeper. 2 He removes any of my branches that don’t produce fruit, and he trims any branch that produces fruit so that it will produce even more fruit. 3 You are already trimmed because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. A branch can’t produce fruit by itself but must remain in the vine. Likewise, you can’t produce fruit unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, then you will produce much fruit. Without me, you can’t do anything. 6 If you don’t remain in me, you will be like a branch that is thrown out and dries up. Those branches are gathered up, thrown into a fire, and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified when you produce much fruit and in this way prove that you are my disciples.” CEB

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