{Dear Graduate,
This letter was written originally to my younger brother
in honor of his high school graduation.
I share it here because this is essentially the message
I would like to send out to each and every one of you as well.
May you walk in grace.}
This letter was written originally to my younger brother
in honor of his high school graduation.
I share it here because this is essentially the message
I would like to send out to each and every one of you as well.
May you walk in grace.}
This morning my thoughts have been mostly of you.
Memories of you as a toddler; silly, witty and wild;
Thankfulness and pride swelling as I think of who you've become.
Thankfulness and pride swelling as I think of who you've become.
Today is the day we celebrate your accomplishment of completing 13 years of school. And if we count all those preschool activities and games I got to do with you way back when, well then we could probably chalk it up to 14 years, at least.
You've stuck to it, displayed an admirable amount of perseverance and motivation, and I, personally, am inspired by your example of determination. Along with that, I've seen you choose Jesus, choose grace, stand up for what is right.
You're finished with one season of life, and you're walking into another.
The hard work doesn't end here, in fact it may get harder from here on out. The choices set before you may prove themselves to be tougher, bigger and more challenging than any you've faced before.
But you have the grace of God.
Grace that is readily available to you at any moment, and it's more than sufficient for any and every choice, challenge or struggle that comes your way.
This morning my thoughts have also been of the world we now live in. Today news flashed of the deadliest mass shooting in US history. One man ended fifty lives by the choice he made.
One man. One choice.
Last week headlines all raged about a young man, not much older than you, who chose to dishonour and harm a young woman in one of the most humiliating, personally damaging ways possible. People everywhere hashed out laws and rights and the value of a human being. Again.
All because of one man. One choice.
Unfortunately, these things are not even uncommon anymore in the world we live in. It doesn't all make news, but it's all reality.
We live in a world that calls defiance bravery,
Calls arrogance manhood,
Calls lies truth,
Filth; beauty,
Wrong; right.
We live in a world that despises the grace of God. A world where real men are rare. Not nonexistent, but rare. Real men who make wise choices. Lead exemplary lives. Walk in grace.
Regardless of the grand celebrations, today is just another day. You've been becoming a man for a long time now, but today especially, we acknowledge you leaving behind yet another chapter- a very large part- of childhood, and stepping more fully into manhood.
Boys leave their marks in the world, and occasionally some boys even make history, but it is men who shape and build the world we live in. It is men who leave the biggest impact and who make the choices that affect masses. It is men who lead, men who blaze the trail, men who set the pace.
Many men have made wrong choices and failed to take hold of the grace of God to overcome the entangling, crippling power of sin. Countless times the world has been left reeling in the wake of a single wrong choice made by one single man, but you, my brother don't have to follow in the footsteps of a man like that.
You have the grace of God.
You are stepping more fully into manhood now, and you have choices to make.
You have work to do. There's a path laid out before you that you are to walk. You have the world and all its opportunities and beauties before you, as well as all its temptations and snares:
And you have the grace of God.
I know you know that. Never doubt it.
I'm so proud of you, my brother, and as long as I'm here on this world with you I will always cheer you on and lift you up before the Throne of Grace.
The hard work doesn't end here, in fact it may get harder from here on out. The choices set before you may prove themselves to be tougher, bigger and more challenging than any you've faced before.
But you have the grace of God.
Grace that is readily available to you at any moment, and it's more than sufficient for any and every choice, challenge or struggle that comes your way.
This morning my thoughts have also been of the world we now live in. Today news flashed of the deadliest mass shooting in US history. One man ended fifty lives by the choice he made.
One man. One choice.
Last week headlines all raged about a young man, not much older than you, who chose to dishonour and harm a young woman in one of the most humiliating, personally damaging ways possible. People everywhere hashed out laws and rights and the value of a human being. Again.
All because of one man. One choice.
Unfortunately, these things are not even uncommon anymore in the world we live in. It doesn't all make news, but it's all reality.
We live in a world that calls defiance bravery,
Calls arrogance manhood,
Calls lies truth,
Filth; beauty,
Wrong; right.
We live in a world that despises the grace of God. A world where real men are rare. Not nonexistent, but rare. Real men who make wise choices. Lead exemplary lives. Walk in grace.
Regardless of the grand celebrations, today is just another day. You've been becoming a man for a long time now, but today especially, we acknowledge you leaving behind yet another chapter- a very large part- of childhood, and stepping more fully into manhood.
Boys leave their marks in the world, and occasionally some boys even make history, but it is men who shape and build the world we live in. It is men who leave the biggest impact and who make the choices that affect masses. It is men who lead, men who blaze the trail, men who set the pace.
Many men have made wrong choices and failed to take hold of the grace of God to overcome the entangling, crippling power of sin. Countless times the world has been left reeling in the wake of a single wrong choice made by one single man, but you, my brother don't have to follow in the footsteps of a man like that.
You have the grace of God.
You are stepping more fully into manhood now, and you have choices to make.
You have work to do. There's a path laid out before you that you are to walk. You have the world and all its opportunities and beauties before you, as well as all its temptations and snares:
And you have the grace of God.
I know you know that. Never doubt it.
I'm so proud of you, my brother, and as long as I'm here on this world with you I will always cheer you on and lift you up before the Throne of Grace.
"You therefore, my son,
be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."
2 Timothy 2:1
No comments:
Post a Comment