Good evening, 8th graders. This is the last day we can call you that, for tonight, you graduate and become freshmen. This is a bit strange for people like me, who remember when you were in first grade…and remember you drawing dinosaurs and butterflies or sledding on the field side on the tiny slope we used to call a sledding hill before the real one was built.
Since those early days, you have learned y=mx+b, what a hypothesis and a hypotenuse are, which tools you need to make a bibliography, and how to take a final exam. Most of you have camped together in various places, weathering rain, cold, learning how to cook your own food over a fire, and how to sleep (or not) in a tent on the ground. You’ve biked 8.2 miles around Mackinac Island, dealing with non-biting midge flies and gorgeous views, and you’ve memorized lines, cues, and performed a play— and even a snow day couldn’t stop you!
Now? You are off onto the next part of your adventure. Your journey continues into both the known and unknown. You will see some of your classmates at your new school, while others will head in different directions. You will need to navigate which activities or sports you will join, what classes you will take, and who you will invest your time and yourself with. You have made choices before; now you will make decisions exponentially.
How will you do that? Will you ask for help? Will you wade into the ocean of decisions all by yourself? Will you seek tools and resources to keep you afloat as you find yourself getting deeper? Will you exercise the skills you’ve learned over these years of your life and strengthen your ability to swim?
One time when my son was three, we were building sandcastles on the beach at Little Bostwick, and he took off running down the dock in the blink of an eye.
He didn’t yet know how to swim.
In seconds, he was past the shallow end and headed towards the slide that emptied into the deepest part of the water. Before he could get there and before I could reach him, he slipped and fell into the water.
It felt like I was running in slow-motion. In what seemed like 5 minutes but was probably 5 seconds, I made it to where he was submerged. There, below two feet of water, I saw him, his eyes wide open in terror, staring up at me. I threw myself down on my belly on the dock and plunged in my arm. I felt his shirt in my grasp and pulled him out, lifting him onto the dock. There we both hugged and sobbed, completely wet through all our clothes, both of us feeling fear and relief.
It might be like that sometimes.
Sometimes, you may choose to remain in a familiar place and build on what you’ve already done, like joining cross-country, volleyball, or the high school play, yet use fresh tools and techniques as you continue to grow.
At other times, you might explore different terrain to create and learn new skills, like trying out for forensics, joining an art or adventure club, or applying for a job for the first time. There’ll be times you venture in slowly, taking things one step at a time until you are confident you can dive in, like maybe in September sitting with friends you already know, but in October inviting new people to join you during lunch. And perhaps, even likely, there will be times you will sprint off in a thrilling direction towards the deep end, lose your footing, and fall in over your head.
Know this: You are not alone.
Listen to what the One says to you about times like this, the One who created every inch of you, knows every cell and atom of yours, who understands each emotion and thought in your head, and loves you more than you can fathom.
From Isaiah 43:
“This is what the Lord says,
He who created you ____(I want you to put your own name here and in the next part so you know this promise is for you)____
He who formed you ______
Don’t be afraid; I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called your name. You are mine.
When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you.
When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end—
Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior.
I paid a huge price for you…
That’s how much you mean to me!
That’s how much I love you!
I’d sell off the whole world to get you back,
trade the creation just for you. So don’t be afraid: I’m with you.”
There will be times you may feel like you might drown. But God will reach into the depths of whatever situation you are in, yank you out to safety, and hug the bejeebies out of you in relief. You’ll both be dealing with the consequences of your decision, but you will be ok. You are held. You. are. loved.
Keep your eyes on Jesus who saves you.
Now, I imagine some of you are feeling both joy and sadness, both excitement and nervousness. I have learned you can experience more than one emotion at the same time. Both can be true.
It may not seem like you should grieve at such a time as graduating. This is joyful! What an accomplishment! Why would you be grieving?
It has taken me a while to figure this one out. Whenever there is a new beginning, there is also an ending. Even if that new start is something you are looking forward to and anticipating, it also means there is something you have to let go of or leave behind. The leaving and the joining go hand in hand. The hello and goodbye work together.
The idea of leaving your home at Rockford Christian to begin a new adventure is exciting. It reminds me of Bilbo Baggins beginning his journey in the Hobbit. He was cozy in his home, happy and content, yet he was about to embark on a mission that would be full of excitement, craziness, and people and things he’d never before experienced. All those things would be worth it, yet he could still mourn leaving his comfy home of Bag-end.
You may be grieving the loss of one close-knit class and teachers who’ve known you so well for so long, while at the same time, you’re celebrating that you finished your early education. You’ve done it! On to what’s next! You celebrate the ability to transform even more into who God’s created you to be with fresh experiences, while still grieving the leaving. And rest in the knowing that it is ok. It is good. It is part of the process. It is in the Bible even, to feel this way. Ecclesiastes 3:4 tells us this:
“There is a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance.”
There is a time for both, and sometimes that happens at the same time. I thank God for both. I hope you are able to do so, too.
We thank God for all of you, and we are so proud of you.
You are loved.
Congratulations!
Leave a Reply