Graduation is about many things. Accomplishment, achievement, growing up, moving out, moving on, the closing of one part of your life, the beginning of another. All these things have something in common: they all include change. Dr. Steve Brown was right when he said “there are only two things in life that don’t change: God and change.”
For many of us, change is scary. Change introduces us to the unknown. It takes us out of our comfort zone. It forces us to let go of things we never thought we would let go of, and embrace things we never thought we could or would even want to hold on to.
One of the things I have been learning is that one of God’s favorite things is change. He loves change. Change is a tool that God uses with all the skill of a master craftsman to shape us, mold us, cut away from us, and add to us as He sees fit to make us the person we need to be. He does this not only for your own benefit, but for the benefit of your family, so that it is all God wants it to be, and for the church so the Body of Christ is all He wants it to be.
Deuteronomy 31:1-8 details one of the major graduations in the life of Joshua. He has been the student of Moses for 40 years, and now is getting ready to take his teacher’s place as Moses steps down from leadership. This graduation takes place in front of the whole nation of Israel.
Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel: “I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you. The LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’ The LORD your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the LORD said. And the LORD will do to them what he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, whom he destroyed along with their land. The LORD will deliver them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
If you are going to be all that God wants you to be, God will bring you though change. You can’t stay as you or where you are or even who you are. God is the God of the living, and all living things change.
Graduation is not something that only happens after high school and college. They may be the graduations with the most pomp and circumstance, but they are not the only graduations in life. Life is full of graduations. When you move out of your parent’s house to live on your own, that is a graduation. When you get married, that is a graduation. When you have your first kid, that is a graduation. When you experience your first loss of a loved one, that is a graduation. Life is full of graduations.
Life’s graduations have a few things in common that we would do well to be learning. And we can see each of these things in this passage:
Graduations bring a change of responsibilities. Joshua’s graduation meant that his responsibilities changed. He was transitioning from being a follower of Moses to being the leader of Israel. Moses clearly laid out his new responsibilities: for you must go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. When you graduate, your responsibilities change. Life’s graduations almost always come with a change in responsibilities.
When your responsibilities change in a significant way your perspectives almost always change as well. Joshua’s perspective was significantly changed by his graduation. Deuteronomy 34:9 says, Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the LORD had commanded Moses. Joshua’s perspective changed because he was now the person people were going to look to as God’s spokesman to the nation. Joshua’s perspective up to this point was focused on supporting and assisting Moses. His perspective needed to change because Israel was not going to be wandering in the wilderness any more, they were going to enter into the Promised Land. As a result, much of his time in leadership was going to be in war and fighting.
When you graduate your perspective changes. Your perspective on life and what’s important. What your priorities are. Where you need to spend your time. This is part of graduation, realizing that it comes with a change in your perspectives.
Graduation often brings a change in leaders
and leadership. Graduation meant a change of leadership for Joshua. Moses knew he was not going to lead Israel forever. So part of Moses’ leadership was spent mentoring his successor. We see this throughout the Bible. John the Baptist as the last prophet in Israel led the people for a while. Then He passed that leadership on to Jesus. Jesus then passed that leadership on to the Apostles. Who then taught them to pass it on too, as we read in 2 Timothy 2:2, And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.
Graduations often mean your leaders change. When I was a teenager my school teachers and youth leaders were my leaders. When that season ended and I graduated to college I had new leaders. When that season ended and I graduated to seminary I had new leaders in my life. Marriage brought new leaders. Pastoring brought new leaders. Not only did new leaders come into my life, but my leadership changed too. As my family grew and changed so did my role as a leader. As my ministry went from being a youth minister, to an associate pastor who worked with both youth and adults, to my current position where I work with adults my role and responsibilities changed too. It is a fact of life that life’s graduations bring new leadership.
Life’s graduations bring a change of responsibilities, a change in our perspectives, and a change in our leaders and leadership.
In the midst of all the change, uncertainty, and new responsibilities that life’s graduations bring, I want to remind you (and especially my readers who are recent high school and college graduates, or who are about to be) of what does not change: God’s love for you.
It is no surprise that Moses said to both Joshua and the people of Israel: The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” God knows change can be scary. He knows change can be discouraging. He encourages you by reminding you of two key truths:
God goes before you. You may not know where you are going, but God does. He has gone on ahead of you, preparing the way for you. And if you live for Him, listen to Him, and be obedient to Him, He will guide you smoothly and safely through this transitional period of your life.
He will never leave you nor forsake you. You can never tell yourself that too much. God will never leave you nor forsake you. Your salvation is not up to you. It does not depend on you. What God said to Jeremiah is no less true for you: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart (Jeremiah 1:5). God is fully committed to you. Things may get dark. They may get confusing. Things may even seem impossible to you. Your life is not dark to Him. He sees where you are and the road you need to be on with absolute clarity. And doing the impossible is God’s specialty. So do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. Because God is going with you and He will never leave you nor forsake you.
Learning To Be Full Of Grace And Truth. 
Reblogged this on graciousandattractive.
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