Graduations: Moving Up In Life!

Graduations: Moving Up!                                                      Kelly Durant  5-31-15

Ecclesiastes 7:8  Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

2. How many of you have seen a toddler scream when the parents are trying to put it into the stroller? Once a one year old discovers that he/she can run around, they do not want to be restrained in a stroller anymore! They want to enjoy their newly discovered freedom. I recall I would take Renee in the mall or the park when she was a year old she would sometimes run for a whole block and never looking back to see if I was there! I stayed in shape back then!

Life is full of stages. Time, outside forces, our own maturing nature forces us to move on. Ecclesiastes chapter 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; (A time to graduate as well!)

All of us are aware that it is impossible to turn back time. What was done is done, there are no second chances with most everything in life. A 25 year old cannot say, “Oh I messed up when I was 18, now I am ready to go back to High School!” He can go to adult night school, but regular High School is not an option, right? We must be serious to get it right the first time.

3. Life is a school! God’s law schooled us and we have graduated on to grace with Jesus.  God is teaching us at every stage and some learn and some don’t! We are proud of the young people of our Corps this year! Some pass the grade and others fail. Speaking of graduations, how many dropouts do you think there are from High Schools? Observe these statistics as published by the Miami Herald last year, 2014. Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article1965692.html#storylink=cpy    (below is one paragraph from the article)

‘Ortiz became principal in 2009 at one such school, Miami Edison Senior High, where the graduation rate in 2003 was lower than 20 percent. (80% dropout rate!) Last year, Edison’s graduation rate hit 70 percent - a 250 percent increase over the past decade that is unmatched by any other non-alternative high school in Florida. Other schools share similar turnaround stories. Miami Jackson doubled its graduation rate from less than 40 percent to 85 percent last year.’

These stats were quite dismal but it seems things are getting better in the past 10 years (that is if the teachers are not allowing cheating on the testing). So with this comparison, any young person graduating is to be honored and praised! All of ours are graduating! Isn’t it interesting to note that from our Corps (as in most Christian churches) those who have faith in Jesus have more drive and motive to be good achievers and successful at everything they do? Congratulations to all our 5 young people graduating this year!

4. What motivates young people (or a person of any age) to want to be applied, hard-working, inquisitive, persistent, patient, and successful? It is having a love for God and excellence! Our Christian faith requires it! Ecclesiastes 9:10 (a) Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might;

The Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit in us, is compared to a gentle dove, patient and soft, but at the same time it is like a fire that burns and never stops advancing, purifying all things in its path. How many of you have ever put ashes on a cut? Where a fire has been there is change and purity left behind. Purity implies humility, the opposite of a proud or arrogant spirit which ungodly people possess especially when they are young and think they know-it-all.

Those who have God’s spirit are on fire and always want to be on the move, moving up the level expected of them. If they sit still their conscience burns inside them telling them that they are failing God for being stuck. No normal person wants to be carried or pushed around in a chair (either young or old) when they have the ability to walk and be independent. How degrading, unfair, and unnatural it is for someone to be held back when they are capable of doing great things on their own! It is our job as mature ones in the faith to support the maturing ones in their missions in life!

5. Maturing is not easy! In ancient Israel, and even in many countries today, most young people are expected to be adults somewhere between ages 12 and 14. They are required to be self-sufficient, to start laboring in fields or factories, to marry and have kids, or even to become a soldier. Under the Communist influenced constitution model from Cuba and Venezuela, Bolivia changed the law 2 years ago to for kids to start working at age 10! Remember uneducated people are easily manipulated.  http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-28360838  Worse it is with isis groups that train 10 year olds to be killers and soldiers! That is a horrible abuse and God will make hell hot for those that cause little ones to stumble.

You can thank God that this Judeo-Christian influenced society of the U.S.A has more laws and common sense and mercy on its youth to allow them to mature more years so they are better prepared when they start off life independently. Be careful though as many of the traditional conservative Godly Biblical principles of our current society (especially in college) are rapidly being trashed and replaced by corrupted ideologies from ignorant, inexperienced, disrespectful, arrogant, agenda driven, hedonistic self-destructive people who are blindly political and a danger to everyone! Stay above these types of scum; always move up, never down allowing yourself to be debased or manipulated out of your high morals, convictions, and faith.     

How many times have we heard, “I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger”? There is even a Rod Stewart song I like with that line it. The problem is the school of life up until age 18 is not preparing the youth as they adequately need it. When I hit age 20 and I realized how little I actually knew, after going through the stage of knowing it all, I suddenly felt the need to learn, mature, grow, change, study, and ask God to make me wise for my age.

6. Young people, the first thing you need to get right in life starting independence, your priority, is to learn to seek God, fear God, and live only by His standards. Psalm 119:9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

Prov. 2:1-5  My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you,

2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding;

3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding,

4 If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures;

5 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God.

So now that you know God expects you to seek Him and His word, if you do it, you can expect nothing but blessings, peace, opportunities, and doors to open. Why? Because leaders of valor, honest, prosperous, integral people will recognize your character qualities and choose you to be promoted and chose to make you as the manager, leader, or example for the rest of the group. It is because today, the standards everywhere have degraded, so it is normal to expect your average Jane or Joe to be a slacker, a lazy do-the-minimum-type expecting benefits for nothing produced. But a saved to serve SS Christian never models this attitude, amen?

7.  So how does all of this tie into the graduation passing us by in the year 2015? “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof”. I know that all the young people must be very happy to finally finish all those tests and be glad it is all over! Right? Just think my wife and I being here for over 5 years have known you since age 12 and 13! Some of you are known by others here since you were babies!

I know I was happy to leave it all behind me when my graduation day came! I know when I was 18 I had already been working full time for about a year so for me to leave the school was a relief. Why? Because there were a lot of problematic, arrogant, unfriendly people in school and I did not see the purpose in learning Algebra II, and tolerating everything else that seemed to be ineffective and in a mess.

Isn’t it true that we do feel good when certain chapters in our lives are over? I have known some people who enjoyed school, but considering all the hostile indifferent environments of schools today, most schools are not places that are very enjoyable or adequate for learning. I feel very sad for our young people because the quality of life they experience is not even as good as what most of us as older people got to experience.

8. I want to encourage our young people to know they have a family here in the Corps that is behind you, praying for you, and we will help you whenever needed, am I right everyone? I will do any recommendation letter you need, and I already did several letters crediting the many “volunteer hours” mandated by the schools needed because you have served well here. If you study in a college in Tampa, The Salvation Army student housing center can take you in for about 1/3 of the cost of a regular dorm. If you need money for books, there is a loan you can get through us with no interest. We believe in supporting young people and we pray you continue on going to the Salvation Army Corps close to wherever it is you move to.

I wish I would have had a Christian family backing me up when I was teenager up to age 18 and beyond! I probably would have made better choices back then! So I am very happy to tell you that we are here for you spiritually, morally, even financially! Very few churches can offer you this and I want you know you are privileged to be a part of this “Army” of God. The practice you have gotten in serving others has exposed you to the world as nothing else could have and you have a global perspective of all the good and bad in the communities everywhere, more than your peers.

You and I have witnessed that so many young people have grown up in this Salvation Army to learn important life skills such as leadership and music. The music talent for many has opened doors for grants in colleges and work, and you have seen many less than ordinary lives change into extra ordinary. The leadership learned through the programs of Corps Cadet and others has prepared our youth to be strong and courageous and defend the right principles that leaders exemplify (as Jesus would, right?). God and everyone here expects you to be shining examples of holiness, lovingness, servingness and faithfulness being responsible and wise in every area of your life.  Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

9.  Young people, what you do in the next 4 to 5 years will determine how the rest of your life is going to go! After that some will graduate from college, some will be married and happy or sadly be married and divorced, and others will get lost in the day to day grind of just making enough to survive! You, despite opinions of anyone, despite what you think, are the ultimate ones choosing your path in the future. This is why you must stay desperate with God! Be careful that the voice your hear inside your being is God’s voice of encouragement always!

You have a fresh start at life and above all you must choose God’s wisdom above everything as I just told you to do as in Proverbs. You should consider answering God’s call as I did when I was 21 years old if you want adventure, danger, and face very hard challenges! Life is going to take its course and if God is not at the center every day you will later end up in your 20s depressed, frustrated, ugly and angry at the world blaming the system, racism, or your parents for not handing over to you what you wanted in life.

And then somewhere in time between a few years to 70 years after this graduation when you die your spirit will be released to return to God and you will answer, “What have you done with your life?” With God no excuses exist! No blame exists except with you and own choices. Jesus must be at the center of everything! Matthew 12:30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

God bless the graduates! And God bless those who remain faithful to death to graduate from the school of life in the ultimate promotion of glory to exist eternally happy with the eternal God of love!