Friday; May 25

Graduation is a busy time of year that provokes diverse emotions.  For graduating seniors, it is a time of completion, a moment of relief, a time of reflection, a period of sadness (for the ending of childhood and childhood friendships) and a time of excitement for a great big world just waiting for the taking.  Sure, leaving home and moving on to a job or advanced education can be scary, but it is also filled with optimism.   While graduation can be an exciting time for those who have completed High School, sometimes I think about those who didn’t graduate.  The thrill of accomplishment is not experienced by everyone.  I wonder how they feel when they don’t get to walk across the stage and receive their diploma?  I imagine the emotion may be just as complex as their graduating neighbors – fear over their future, bitterness toward those who they feel are to blame for their failures, disappointment in not completing the goal, frustration over a lost opportunity.  No, not everyone who doesn’t graduate from High School views it as a negative or failure, but I have to believe that some do – and they enter their adult years with trepidation.
Whether we finish High School or not, there will be another type of “graduation” we will all experience – death.  When we come to the end of this life and stand on the brink of eternity, most of us will feel a sense of emotion.  Will we look back on life as a failure and an era of missed opportunities or will we view it as a time of preparation for our next life?  Will we be so attached to this world that we can’t imagine anything better?  Will we be excited to move on to the next level – an eternal life with God – or will we fear that we are not prepared for the judgment that awaits us after death?
It is probably too late for most of our High School seniors to influence their ability to graduate, but it is never too late for those of us making the transition from this world to eternal life to secure our future.  Are we ready to transition to eternity?  If not, now is the time to make the necessary changes.
Think About It!

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