graduation time

It's that time of year. Families are celebrating graduations. If you are reading this and you are a graduate - give yourself a pat on the back and please accept my congratulations! I enjoy reflecting about my graduation. I like to remember high school graduation (partially because I had a head of thick hair). I remember that it seemed a little bit like a dream. You walk across the stage and then you begin a brand new chapter in your life. It's as though...Bam! you're a graduate...now what? Since my high school graduation I have experienced that feeling over and over again. For some reason I expected that certain events would change who I was. I know that sounds silly but I'm being honest. I have seen the same expectation in others. People think that they will get married and wake up a good husband or wife. People think that they will get a good job and suddenly become responsible employees. They think they will start to church and experience an overnight transformation into patient, kind and loving persons. You get the picture. I thought I would feel like a different person when I became a pastor. Guess what? When I step up in front of the congregation on Sunday, it's still me. The events in our life do not change us. It is an investment over time in our character that matters. Graduation is a significant reference point. But, the meaning of graduation depends on how we harness the lessons and experiences that led up to graduation and apply them from day to day. I love the way God was revealed to the prophet Jeremiah. God is the potter. Graduation does not mean we are a finished product. It is a time to place our lives in His hands and allow Him to blend our experiences and lessons and His perspective into us. It is another step toward becoming the vessel that He is producing.