Message to Graduates 2008

Below is the article from our April 2008 Newsletter:

As we near the end of another school year, I can feel the excitement in the air. Many of you will be graduating this year which brings many exciting and lets face it, scary thoughts to your minds. I remember when I was a senior in high school – shut up, I know it was a long time ago – I remember being freaked out about my future. I had been looking forward to graduation for years and now it was finally here. Now what??

The fact is that everyone faces this decision - what do I do with the rest of my life? Some of you have it all planned out. Some of you are still trying to figure it out while others haven’t realized that you need to make some decisions fairly soon. As a parent of a senior, I am facing some anxiety myself. My son is no longer my little boy who follows me everywhere and copies everything I do. Actually, it has been a few years since he has done that but I think you know what I mean.

At some point in the future, he will get married and start a family of his own (NOT TOO SOON I HOPE) and he will be facing parental decisions which will teach him that parents aren’t as stupid as he has thought all of these years. Trust me, your parents aren’t stupid no matter what you think. We love you guys even though you can be a challenge at times. We truly want you to succeed.

So here you are, facing the decisions that will effect the rest of your life. Some of you will go on to college and beyond, some of you are looking at the military, and some of you have plans to eat cheese puffs, play video games and live in your parents’ basement forever. As you face these decisions, I hope you will take time to talk to your parents about your future. Look at all the options and spend some time thinking about your goals. write them down and list those things that will help you reach them. College is expensive but it is worth it. Of course I could put in a shameless plug for a Nazarene school here but I won’t. I will just say that Christian colleges are a great place to go to school. They can be expensive but worth the money to keep Christian teaching in front of you. It is important that you don’t allow false teachers to give you direction.

I wish I had more space to write to you this month because there are so many important things that I want to share with you. The bottom line is that many teenagers leave the church after graduation. I want to encourage you to stay close to God and if you are away from Him, come back. I have told you before that the decision that matters for eternity is what you do with Jesus. Accept Jesus and have eternal life. Reject Him, even by choosing not to live for Him, and you are going to Hell. So as you start your future, take a minute to secure your eternal future. If you need help with that, call me or any Christian that you know and ask. We also have info on our website about accepting Jesus.

I would also like to encourage you to pray about the direction that God wants you to go. He has plans for you if you choose to accept them. Just because you pray about your future doesn’t mean that God is going to send you to Africa as a missionary. He might if He is calling you to that area but realize that we live in a mission field already. People all around you are lost and have no hope because they reject Jesus. Don’t be one of them.

Finally, if you feel like your parents are pushing you out the door because they keep asking about your future plans, they most likely aren’t. They might be if you are a pain but you will have to judge for yourself on that one. We just want you to start thinking about your plans. The time is near for you to make your mark on this world. What will it be? Think, pray, and talk to your ‘rents. We all love you very much and want the best for you. A great book to read is “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey or “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens” by Franklin Covey. No, I don't make a commission for recommending these books but they are worth reading.

In Christ, YPP