Graduation

Well, the graduation season is upon us, and as I was looking at the Facebook statuses of some of my former students, I realized something; the students who were in my youngest group when I first started full-time ministry are now about to graduate from college. When I began my career as a Christian School teacher in 2005, I had a group of sophomores that were my youngest, smallest, and most of the time closest group. I very clearly remember a class my first year teaching that was just me and thirteen 10th grade girls. We called it Estro-Fest. Now many of those students that I spent the most time with and grew the closest to are about to graduate from college seven years later.


In those seven years, some students have left the church behind. When they graduated from High School they graduated from church and they have never looked back. Others have remained in church, but have altered their beliefs to fit their lifestyle choices instead of altering their lifestyles to fit the Word of God. But there is a group of students whose passion for Christ burns brighter than it ever did. There is a group who still serves Him, still love Him, still call out to Him.

We spend a lot of time laying blame on teachers, youth pastors, and parents for the students that walked away, it is far to easy to point out the failures than rejoice in the successes. I am so excited to see what God is doing with this generation, and how He is working in so many of these young lives. So to all my students (past, present, and future), I pray that you would take the things that this older generation has entrusted with you and use them for the Father’s glory. Keep moving forward.