Graduation

Back in primary school, I would feign sickness to get out of class. School seemed to be the least interesting thing then. Times have changed and I now celebrate the milestone of graduating from university. I am immensely grateful to be here though not everything I planned for my life happened. For starters, I didn’t plan to study at the school I graduated from. Looking back, I’m glad I didn’t paint the picture of my life.

As children we have a plan of exactly how our lives will go. The innocence of childhood allows us to dream the sun, moon, and stars into our lives. The more we live the more the story changes. Dreams shift about. Perhaps that is a good thing depending on the reason for the change. Without the perspective of the creator these changes look like messy splashes of color on an already organized canvas. Only when we step back can we see the masterpiece created by trust and obedience to God.

God directs our lives through choices. We are always presented with opportunities to trust God even when we don’t understand. Salvation is where that journey begins but it goes further than that. God invites us to seek first the kingdom of God that all may be added. How challenging it is to do this. It requires daily surrender. A choice to repent and purge sin that so easily entangles us. To give up the pursuit of pleasure through instant gratification that will drain your purpose, to fight envy that causes much discontentment in your life, and to let go of pride that seeks the highest praise for yourself. A choice to submit your will to God’s.

If God is to guide you to a good life, have the humility to admit you don’t know what a good life really is. I once had a dream changed by God. That change made it difficult for me to trust God. Had life lined up exactly as I envisioned then God was good. Thus I had a crisis of faith.

It’s easy to get lost in dream chasing. To be solely focused on achieving that degree, job, or bank balance. We work to feel a sense of purpose, so we pack on the pressure, pull the late nights, and forget the ones we love. Instead of work being a joy it becomes a performance stage for the world to applaud us. This is far from how God calls us to dream.

When I was studying for my degree, I would often forget what I was working for. God had to remind me daily that “well done good and faithful servant” was infinitely more valuable than a first class honours. Though my name may not grace the history books it will be written in the book of life and that is enough.

A few years after my crisis of faith I came to see the good that God was working in an unfulfilled dream. I learned the character of the God of the bible. I saw his goodness, love, and justice. My heart shifted to the knowledge of God. I still remember that realization hitting me as I walked toward church one weekday. Knowing who God was put my heart at ease. Once you know who you are trusting in, trust comes easy. I urge you to learn about the creator. Invest the time to know him for yourself. Take the leap of faith to God.

Faith enables you to see the blessings in disguise. That your life though changed from the course you wanted will still work for good. Jesus does not forget his own. He is ever close and leads us on the path to life. Without the truth of God’s character and promises we might as well be deluded in saying ‘It will all work out in the end’. When we trust and obey God we put an anchor in our hopes for a good future. After all, God can do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine.

With every choice you make with God, you build a firm foundation of faith. Practice trust and obedience. Learn who God is, obey his instructions, and walk down the path he has for you. Your life will not be a straight path with everything you could ever want lined up for you, rather it will be a narrow winding road you journey with the one who satisfies your soul.

I am happy to celebrate a graduation, but it is a greater joy to see the good God brought in an unfulfilled dream. Trust and obey, soon you will see God make all things beautiful in his time. Indeed, thy will be done.

Yet I am always with you;

You hold me by my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel,

And afterward you will take me into glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you?

And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Those who are far from you will perish;

You destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

But as for me, it is good to be near God.

I have made the sovereign Lord my refuge;

I will tell of all your deeds.

Psalms 73:23-28