our walk.

having just graduated from college in december and having many friends graduating in just a few short days, i've just recently been reminded of where i was just a few years ago. i find myself in a very familiar place. a place of fear, but a place of excitement. a place where i have no idea what's truly in front of me, but a place where i'm excited to be. i think some of you can relate.

on june 4th, 2004 i read these words to my fellow peers...

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tonight we graduate. right now, i am supposed to stand before you and offer a few words of advice about teh future, but honestly how much more do i know about the future than any of you who are seated before me? i do not want to stand here and give you hollow words; what i mean is that i want my speech to you - my classmates - to have substance and value. for the next few minutes, i simply want to make you think. most of us probably hoped the "thinking" part of high school was over, but humor me and try it one more time.

we, as the class of 2004, are about to take the walk we have looked forward to taking for the last twelve years. one by one our names will be called, and with a smile and a simple handshake, we will receive our diplomas and return to our assigned seats. but then what? yes, some of us may go through another graduation exercise sometime in the near future-from military training or college- but even then the question will remain, "now what?"

the path leading us to our graduation walk tonight is the result of choices we have made along the way- some good and some bad. whether we realized it or not, everyday that we rolled out of bed and stumbled into the doors of BHS, we made a choice: we chose to stay in school - to learn - to better prepare ourselves for the future. tonight, we are being granted a reward for that choice.

an even more important walk in life also requires that we make a choice. we must choose to be different - we much choose to be a minority rather than simply a part of the majority. tonight we wear our school colors with pride; our black and gold cap and gowns symbolizing our unity as a group. we are the graduating class of 2004. But, it is time to find out who we really are. it is time to stand up. it is time to stand out. it is time to be individuals. the other walk i am speaking of is our spiritual walk in life. it is the single-most important walk we will ever take - more important than a walk to receive a diploma or even a walk down an aisle to marry the love of our lives. it is the walk that leads to our eternal reward. as we eagerly anticipate the moment when we will finally receive our diplomas - the pieces of paper considered to be valuable tickets to our futures - i urge you to assure yourself of a spiritual diploma - a ticket to an eternity with the Lord. Listen to the words of Dorothea Barwick's poem, "Today, We Graduate":

today is the first day of the rest of our lives,
we can fill it with job; we can fill it with strife
we can follow the world and do our own thing,
or follow the Lord and reap the blessings He'll bring.
no longer a child we can make our own way,
we can choose what to do with our lives everyday.
we're dependent on God though, for the air that we breathe,
for the warmth of the sun - for the health that we need,
for protection from harm as we walk down the street,
for providing strong faith so we won't meet defeat.
He reminds us that all that we have comes from Him,
and He loved us enough to die for our sin.
He gives us a choice, now we must decide...
as we graduate, will we walk by His side?

i want to take this opportunity to challenge not only you, my classmates - the Class of 2004, but also each one of our friends, family members, and teachers here today. i challenge you to live the rest of your lives so that you can have the only true assurance there is in life. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, my friends, and He will direct your paths." may God bless each one of you as we go our separate ways.

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i still don't know how i got away with reading those words in a public school, but i know the Lord knew what He was doing when my speech was read beforehand by several teachers and no one said a word. for now, i'm thankful i ran across these words. i needed to be reminded that He is directing my path. for those of you who are graduating, find rest and peace in that promise. so what's the big deal about all of us being jobless and having no idea what's next?? just LIVE!! have fun. enjoy life. go on random road trips. watch the sunrise. stay up late. sing karaoke. have long conversations. He's got a plan and it will be revealed to us in HIS time...not ours. if we don't know what we're doing with our lives...we don't know for a reason. trust that. so we went to school for 4(+) years...that doesn't make Him obligated to show us the next stage of life yet. that's our time-table...not His. :)

i love ya'll!! :)