Dear Graduate…
Dear Graduate,
This is it. The time that you spend hours packing clothes, decor, books, and even your memories from the last four years. There is an excitement in the air yet a feeling of dread that you feel in each breath as the moment of commencement comes closer and closer. You imagined this day, I mean it is all you worked towards these past four years. Long nights under a study lamp. Eye strain from staring at your computer screen as you typed deep into the night. Laughter and frustration from countless group projects where scheduling seemed to be merely impossible. This is it. You remember the days when it all started. The day you arrived on campus meeting your first roommate. You remember the anxiety and adrenaline of "What happens now?" as you sat in a room that felt foreign to you.
Isn't it funny that you are asking yourself that same question but in different circumstances now? You are saying to yourself, " What happens now?" but now you are sitting in a room that feels like home with roommates who have become your family. -----
It is expected to feel this way. Transition and change are never easy for the heart and rarely easy for the mind to understand. It is an exciting time to graduate; as the saying goes, "The world is your oyster," but maybe you don't feel that way. Maybe there is a fear underneath that smile. Perhaps you're questioning everything. You may know exactly where you are headed come graduation, but there still is a sense of uncertainty that lurks in your thoughts. Maybe you have absolutely no clue where you will be heading after you graduate. Maybe it seems that you have been gliding slowly down a river peacefully but there is a drop off ahead and you don’t know how to get out of your boat to avoid it.
You have built so much here. All of your friends and hobbies are behind the entrance to this college. Nothing will be the same, and it scares you.---
I implore you that God's word has much to say about change, transition, and fear of the future.
Many verses state the truth that we are not to fear or be filled with anxiety. We often hear the scripture Philippians 4:4-7, but do we really let it penetrate our hearts? It states, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
This verse starts off with " Rejoice in the Lord always" and Paul, the author of Philippians, boldly repeats to rejoice! As a graduate who is scared of the next chapter, it is easy to rejoice over this past season, but how can you possibly rejoice over the unknown? We rejoice in God by recognizing His sovereignty. He has been with you over each step and situation thus far, so why would He leave you now? Deuteronomy 31:6 states, " Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
If God's word states that He will never leave or forsake you, why do you question His provision for you in the season ahead? The answer is simple: We are human. We can easily read the verses above and acknowledge that they are true, but we lack the ability to honestly believe them in our own hearts.
Recognize God's sovereignty and let your striving and grasping for control cease. Give it entirely over to God in prayer. Let your thoughts go to the memories of God's faithfulness in your life and rejoice in what He alone has accomplished, not your own works.
Jesus is known as the Prince of Peace so when you start to feel the anxious feelings come rushing over you remember these three things.
Sometimes God calls us into the unknown: Fear will try to get you to clasp your hands of control but I encourage you to release and to trust God that He will lead you. It might seem confusing or even daunting but God has a plan for your life. Often we are called into seasons of the unknown just as Abram was. But God was with Abram as he traveled to a new land. God was with Joseph when he was sold into slavery by his brothers. God was with Joshua when he came against the Canaanites. God was with David as he faced the Philistines. God was with Moses and Caleb as they waited in the wilderness hoping for God’s promise. God was with Peter in prison. God was with Paul when he was stoned by the jewish leaders in Antioch and Iconium and He will be with you in your season of the unknown. There are many things that lie ahead that seem confusing but God is with you in the midst of it all and has a bigger purpose out of each story in your next season.
Don’t try to take the Pen from God’s hand in order to find a counterfeit peace: James 4:13-15 says “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” It is easy to try to figure it out on our own. Sometimes it can appear as if we are faster than God in figuring out the next steps. Sometimes we are called to be patient and wait to see what He has. His plans are better than our own. It is not wrong to knock on doors to see what is available but don’t do it out of a restless controlling heart. He will open the right doors for you in His timing because His ways are better.
Abide in the Prince of Peace: As anxiety tries to catch and entangle you in its never ending web of lies, let yourself abide in Jesus and be refreshed. Read God’s word and worship Him in the midst. Fill your mind with things of Him. Remind yourself of God’s promises by worshiping Him through song. Listen to sermons. Let yourself be refreshed by God. Discern the voices speaking. You may have all these “ What If’s” but remember that God speaks peace not a web of fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 “ For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
I will leave you with one last thing to encourage you in this next season. A song by Bill Gaither that my father would sing to me as a little girl in moments I felt fearful and anxious.---
“ Something beautiful, Something good. All my confusion you understood. All I had to offer you was brokenness and strife but you made something beautiful out of my life. If there were ever dreams that were so lofty and noble, they were my dreams at the start. And hope for life’s best were the hopes that I harbor down deep in my heart. But my dreams turned into ashes and my castles all crumbled, my fortune turned to loss. So, I wrapped it all in the rags of life and laid it down at the cross.” —
Let the Lord into this season of an uncertain future and bring Him your requests, desires, and anxieties, for Jesus is near to you, Graduate. It will soon be time to turn your tassel and praise God while doing so!
Good Luck to you Graduate!