Many families have just survived one of the most thrilling
and emotionally charged events that can take place in the life of a child:
graduation. I can recall all of my graduations, from kindergarten to my doctorate
degree. Each one was different as I completed one stage of my life and prepared
for a new one.
The word commencement is often
associated with graduations. The meaning of this word, as told by Norman Osborn
in the first Spider-Man the movie is, “The ending of one thing but the
beginning of something new.” When I reached these benchmarks, I focused on what
I had just completed, reveling in the achievement of a job well done.
Sometimes, I was filled with remorse or regret for the things left undone, people
I had hurt, and friends I would never see again. But as soon as a day or two
had passed, I began pondering what my future held. From first grade to my last
pastoral appointment, the ending I had just experienced was the beginning of
something new.
All too often we tend to think of
endings as just that, endings. We might be inclined to obsess over what we
leave behind, things we’ll never do again, and people we might never see. But
in reality, when anything ends, we are on the horizon of something new.
In the Biblical book of Ruth,
tragedy had befallen Naomi. Her husband and two sons had died. To her, this was
an enormous ending. She encouraged her daughters-in-law to return to their home
of origins and start anew. But Ruth, who had become very loyal to Naomi,
refused, pledging to stay with her until they were parted by death. Naomi urged
Ruth time and again to return to her home, but Ruth’s determination to stay
with her mother-in-law only grew.
In Ruth 1.16, Ruth says these words to Naomi, “Don’t urge
me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you
stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” Ruth was
faithful to her word. She stayed with Naomi and eventually married Boaz. What
is remarkable about Ruth’s story is that through her faithfulness, she became
the great-grandmother of King David. And through King David, God sent us Jesus.
By remaining faithful through her tragedy, Ruth took her place in the lineage
that brought salvation to all humankind. I think it is safe to say God had a
plan!
Who knows all that God has in store for us when we
complete one stage in our life and embark upon a new one? We might think that
tomorrow can never be as great as yesterday, but that sure does limit God! God
tells us, “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for
your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you
call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me,
you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me,
says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 22.11-14a)
May we see endings in life as the beginning of something
new. Commencement. From graduations in school and beyond, when we trust in God
who has a plan for our lives, we can rest assured that the best is yet to come!
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