Catch Graduation 2020

So, I’ve got 7 minutes to say something funny, clever, remarkable, meaningful, and inspiring.

That thought led to a quick google search which yielded results like Arnold Schwarzenager saying things like “There are no self-made people”. After watching all of the celebrity graduation speeches, I realized, they must not have been given the same guidelines I was.

And normally at a school graduation, a person would poke fun at the teachers, and laugh at their quirks and habits with the graduates. But at a home-school graduation that equates basically to momma jokes. And I’ve met all of your momma’s and I don’t want to suffer the consequences.

So… I’m supposed to say things like “YOU’VE GOT YOUR WHOLE LIFE AHEAD OF YOU”. That sounds all fluffy and nice, and superficial. But you three are home-schoolers, and you’re more mature than that. You don’t need fluff. So I’m going to just shoot straight with you, tell you how it is, and tell you things your parents have likely already taught you in some way shape or form.

Here’s the truth. YOU DON’T HAVE YOUR WHOLE LIFE AHEAD OF YOU.

Profound, right?

To say that you’re WHOLE life is ahead of you, writes off the past 17 or 18 years of your life as if they cease to be a part of your life. To say so, would imply that you are some how starting over. Leaving behind all that you have worked so hard to accomplish, all that you have gained from the people who have invested in you, and the memories and life shaping relationships that you have had.

Sure, you’re turning a page, and writing more of your story. But you don’t truly have your WHOLE life ahead of you.

A part of your life is behind you, a part of your life you are in right now, while a part of your life remains in front of you.

So technically your WHOLE life isn’t ahead of you. But you’re home-schooled. So you knew that already.

So what can I say about your life to encourage you as you look at the life you have left???

I want to encourage you with this. REMEMBER THE PAST, LIVE IN THE PRESENT, HOPE FOR THE FUTURE.

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REMEMBER THE PAST.

First off, I didn’t say LIVE IN THE PAST. To live in the past is to neglect today, and to not have a real future. You cannot LIVE IN THE PAST, or DWELL ON THE PAST, and do much good today. But to forget the past is going to neglect the sacrifice of those who have poured their lives into you to make you who you are, and to neglect the good and bad times and memories that have formed you.

Do not fall into the trap of forgetting or erasing your past. No matter how painful it was, those memories (good and bad) have shaped you into who you are.

The people, good and bad, have taught you things that have formed you into the person you are today and will continue to shape you into the person you’ll become.

Your past is a part of your WHOLE LIFE. Don’t neglect to REMEMBER THE PAST.

For a biblical lesson on the consequences of forgetting your past, read the book of exodus.

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LIVE IN THE PRESENT

Next I want you to look at the moment you are in.

A verse likely never used at a graduation ceremony ever.

James 4:13–15 NASB95

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” 14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.”

We aren’t guaranteed any set amount of time here on earth. And so I want to encourage you, to make the most of the time you have by being present in the moment.

So often people get so caught up in worrying about the past or dwelling on the past, OR stressing about the future, dreaming about the future, thinking about how things may go or not go.... that they never experience today.

Life is short, ask anyone older and wiser than you, and they will confirm this. It was just yesterday you were toddlers. And your parents blinked and now you’re graduating.

Enjoy the moments you are in, when you are in them, with the people you share them with. Make every moment count, by being present, engaged, and involved in the life that’s happening right in front of you.

DO NOT, spend your life living in the past. And DO NOT spend your life living in the future. But also, DO NOT, forget your past, or neglect to consider the future.

James realizes something that we often ignore, especially when we are young and in the midst of paramount moments. Life is short. In fact, we can’t even say how short it is, because we aren’t promised anything.

Proverbs 27:1 NASB95

1 Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth.

I know what you’re thinking, “GET THIS GUY OUTTA HERE”. “IS THIS SUPPOSED TO BE INSPIRING”, and “I’VE GOT PLANS!”.

But it’s a reality. Life is short, we aren’t promised tomorrow, and we really don’t know what tomorrow brings.