Well it is
that time of the year again…graduations… end of school and the start of summer.
It is an
oxymoronic time too. We experience the joyful
sadness of school ending and vacations starting.
We enjoy the
festive tranquility that this much needed break offers.
Now instead
of becoming redundant with my awfully good examples of oxymoronic phrases…
Speaking of oxymoron,
who hear remembers the song Bitter Sweet
Symphony by the Verve? For some
reason, this song always makes me think of graduation.
This 1997
hit song really deals with something a think a lot of people deal with… being
torn between taking a path you feel compelled to go down vs. a path you want to
follow.
Whether this
is about which college or school you want to go to, or what sport you want to
play, what classes to take, what job to get… What drives us to make the
decisions we make?
In today’s
society, money seems to be a huge factor in the decisions we make.
This career
will pay me more than that one.
This school
is giving me more of a scholarship than that one.
But this
makes me ask…is that right?!
When I was
younger I KNEW what I wanted to do when I was older…
For the
longest time I just KNEW that I was going to the starting forward for the US
National Soccer team. I did the math and
figured that by the age of 17 I would be able to play in 2006 World Cup in
Germany. Getting started so early would
mean that I would then also be able to play in the 2010 and 2014 World
Cups. And naturally, since I was going
to have a long career because I would just never suffer an injuries, I would
then be able to play in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and would be able to
retire in my mid 30’s. I had my whole
life figured out.
But of
course, I had to have a back-up plan….you know, just in case. So I was going to the next Frank Lloyd
Wright. Because becoming one of the most
recognizable, famous architects in the world.
But I was going to do him one better.
I wasn’t just going to design the buildings…I was also going to be a
carpenter and physically build the houses I designed myself.
So there I
was… 12 years old and I had my whole life figured out.
I loved
playing soccer… so I was going to do that for a living.
I loved
drawing and designing things…so I was going to do that for a living.
I loved making
things and watching as things came together… so I was going to do that for a
living.
As I was
thinking back to this…I realized something…
Never, not
for a second did that little 12 year old version of myself ever factor in money
into my decisions. It was not something
I cared about. I simply wanted to do
something that I loved.
This morning
I stumbled across a commencement speech given at Dillard University by the one
and only Denzel Washington.
You can
watch the whole video here,
but some of the things he said are great things to
keep in mind.
1. 1. Put God first.
Especially for our youth that are heading off to college, this is
extremely difficult. I have mentioned
this stat many times in the past.
Typically speaking 70-75% of high school youth who are active in youth
group at a church will leave after graduation.
To put this in perspective, we just celebrated about 15 of our high
school seniors. Statistics say that in 4
years, only 4 of them will still be involved with a church. As Denzel says, “…I didn’t always stick with
Him, but He stuck with me.” You may
wander, but God will always be there. Put
God first in everything you do and remember that everything we have is because
of the grace of God.
2.
2. Fail Big.
When I first started at Holy Communion, I am not going to lie…I had no
idea what I was doing. They do not
really have many classes that prepare you exactly what it is going to be like
to be a youth minister. You instantly
become a logistics professional, a hype man, a therapists, a teacher, a
preacher, a leader, a follower, a role model, a friend, a mentor, a marketing
and advertisement agency, a write, a scholar, a finance officer…but one thing I
was told was to just fail forward.
Everything you do will not always work out. But take a lesson from everything you do and
keep moving forward. Don’t be afraid to
fail…especially if you are dreaming big.
3.
3. You never see a U-Haul behind a hearse. About 2000 BC, the Egyptians built pyramids
as tombs for the pharaohs and their queens.
In the rooms that they were buried, all of the belongings and wealth was
buried in the room with their bodies. They
believed that they need there riches to support themselves in the
afterlife. That is not what we believe
today. When asked what he needed to do
to follow Jesus, the rich young ruler was told that he must first give up all
his possessions. “It’s not how much you
have, it’s what you do with it.”
4.
4. Say thank you.
Behind every great person…is a group of people who have been there to
support you and be there for you through thick and then. Never forget that. One of the most amazing things I have seen
this past year is the sense of community in this youth group. There is so much love in this group. That group is and will be there for. When you are down, look to them to hold you
up. “When you get it, reach back, pull
someone else up.” In a society that
strives to be independent, break the mold.