“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

As we traveled over the span of eight states recently, we were on the road to another graduation. This time number one grandson graduated from North Greenville University on a beautiful S. Carolina morning.  He was among almost 300 graduates and the ceremony was held in the football stadium.  The sun was beginning to crest at 10 AM and I was about to get my first rays of the season.  Unfortunately I would have to allow for more exposure on my right side at a later time.  That would occur on the trip back as I raised my right arm towards the sun blasting in from outside the car.

In the meantime, this class of many cum laude, magna cum laude summa cum laude or simply those who came loudly,  students sat silently as the main speaker gave them a message that radiated to the entire audience.  A true success story in his own right, this man started his career with a stutter.  He turned that into an opportunity to learn and grow throughout the years, but his real success came with the fact that he always kept his perspective in the right place.

It’s such a joy to watch your grandson, who has been blessed with a Christian education throughout his life, graduate from a college that holds the same beliefs that he does.  Throughout Jordan’s life, he was the kid who invited other kids to church with him – the one who read his Bible daily – and the one who put Christ first in all that he encountered in life.  A quiet young man, with a true love of his Savior, he grew into a determined student with a brilliant mind.

With each step up the ladder of success, he’s remained steadfast to the faith that he was introduced to through his baptism, his parents’ love and diligence and the Holy Spirit’s work in him.

As the keynote speaker so aptly spoke in his message, keeping Christ at the center of your walk will determine the kind of success you achieve.  It has nothing to do with wealth, with honor, with intelligence, but everything to do with your relationship with your Savior.  Those other things will follow, if they are in God’s plan for your life.

We are proud of all our grandchildren, because they have placed their trust in our loving God, but also because of the lives they’re leading.  One has already achieved his degree and started his first job in his chosen career.  One is attending Clemson University and taking his finals for his first year this week.  The youngest is about to finish her first year in high school.  All three of them have had the benefit of having parents that realize the importance of giving their children a firm foundation.

That isn’t to say that there won’t be difficulties in these young people’s lives, but it does give them the ammunition to face a future of unknowns.  God will guide them.  He has wonderful plans for each of them, just as He does for each of us.  The blueprint has already been drawn and I’m convinced that the final rung of the ladder leads to heaven for those who place their trust in God.

Thank you, dear God, for blessing my grandchildren with parents who are as concerned for their children’s spiritual welfare as they are for their future worldly success. You are the rock and foundation upon which all things are built and I trust in your continued involvement in their lives.  In Jesus precious name, I pray.  Amen!