Graduation!

Oh no you might say after returning from the mail box, “Someone else is graduating.”   Right away you might think of the card you’ll have to find or the money you sometimes feel obligated to send.  One more hassle right?  Well, probably not for the graduate and certainly not for the parent.   As a parent whose only son is graduating soon from high school, it’s a time of extremes.  It’s extreme relief, sadness, joy, and everything in between. 

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve often wondered as a father how God views our graduation.   Early this year my Dad graduated to his eternal reward in heaven.  I had no problem imagining the great joy he experienced seeing his heavenly father, the angels, and being reunited with loved ones.  His new timeless existence marked fresh vistas of opportunity we can never garner here on this earth.   

One author put it this way as he walked among the tombstones in a cemetery, “Life is what we make of it between the DASH from birth to death.”   Ecclesiastes chapter three tells us there is a time for everything: birth, death, planting, harvesting, killing, healing, tearing down, building up, crying, laughing, grieving, dancing, scattering, gathering, embracing, turning away, searching, quitting, keeping, throwing away, tearing, mending, quiet, speaking, love, hate, war, and peace. 

Our accomplishments down here are simply the rewards of striving, reaching, and growing.   These attainments can be seen as markers of success in the journey.  Today, I’m forced to look at my own spiritual goals and objectives.   Am I pursuing God’s objectives or looking for a senior skip day?   What time is it for you today?