It is that time of year! There are school graduations from Kindergarten through college. This spring my family and I are celebrating two high school graduations, and I am fulfilling a long time goal of graduating from college. It is an exciting time as diplomas are handed out and students contemplate next steps in their career or educational journeys.
As I was thinking more about graduations, I realized that we experience “graduations” all the time, not just in the spring. Babies graduate from one type of food to another, in fact, a popular baby food brand even labels some of their food as “graduates.” These graduated steps may be most easy to see in babies and young children, but we all experience them.
We go from being children to teenagers to adults. We graduate to living on our own or to marriage. We graduate to working adults. We sometimes become parents and then grandparents. Even in between all of these larger milestones are the smaller, less noticeable ones.
While many of these graduations are happy occasions, there can still be a sense of loss or even trepidation about what comes next. To be honest, sometimes a graduation can feel more like standing on the edge of a precipice trying to find the bridge! Mixed in with the excitement of achievement, there can be some pressure to know what comes next. Well meaning friends and family may inquire about future plans.
It is so comforting to know that no matter what season we are in, or what “graduation” we may be facing, God is with us every step of the way. He holds our yesterdays, todays, and tomorrows in the palm of His hand. Even when we don’t quite know what is happening next, we can trust that He does.
I tend to picture my life path as a narrow, winding path up the side of the cliff. Sometimes I don’t dare breathe too deeply for fear of falling off course. When I take a moment to look up at God, I realize that His intent is to bring me to a spacious place where I can take a deep breath. I don’t have to cling to things so hard and worry so much about what comes next.
So if you too are in a season of graduation, feel free to throw that cap in the air! Celebrate your accomplishment and trust that you can look forward to the next season of life because as God told me awhile back, “You know the steps, let me lead.”
“The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him; though they may stumble, they will not fall, for the LORD upholds them with His hand.” Psalms 37:23-24
Leave a Reply