Commencement

So, it ends for many today...sort of. Last day of school. Seniors graduate from high school today. Eighth graders graduate from Middle School. Fifth graders graduate from Elementary School. My oldest little guy graduates from Kindergarten. Next year, on to 1st grade! But graduation isn't an end.

Have you ever noticed that they call graduation "Commencement." To commence something is to begin something. Graduation isn't an ending, it's a beginning. It's commencing on a journey in life, a new path. The truth is there is no ending until we take our last breath.

There isn't a time we get to stop. We never stop growing, changing, evolving. Now, the question is whether we're growing in the right direction. Are we changing for the better or for the worse?

The cool thing about God is that He gives us a chance to graduate to a new life in Jesus. In fact, he says in the Bible that when Christ comes into our lives, we are a new creation. I guess you could say we graduate from our former life and 'commence' our new one. In this new life, we don't have to hold onto our former life, our shortcomings and mistakes. We don't have to go on with our past. We can leave our past behind. Now, this is really cool. God is always ready to give us a fresh start. Maybe you got a fresh start a long time ago and got derailed. Whenever you're ready, he's ready for your 'commencement.'

My prayer today for graduates and kindergartners and all the students going onto their next step in the journey would be that this would be a new beginning. That this would be a fresh start for growth and new horizons. My prayer for all of us would be that we take his offer for a commencement. Are you ready to graduate to a new era in your life? He is.