A Word to Graduates (And to All of Us)

For five years, Jamie and I served our church in youth ministry. This last week, the girls I began with graduated from college. Others who were in our lives, graduated from high school. These kids made us want more of Jesus, and when everyone told us we had lost our minds for pursuing this new way of life - they cheered us on. Here is something I shared at one of their events so many years ago, and I still have it posted on my bathroom mirror because it's applicable to all of us.

Over the past month, God has had me meditating on Hebrews 11, the "faith" chapter. It's an easy chapter to skim over because we've titled it as such. But it's so slam full of God's grace and compassion as He uses broken, ordinary people for His kingdom purposes to bring Himself glory. But more than that, as a daughter (and son) of the High King, this is your lineage, your heritage, and your genealogy.

As I've camped in this chapter, God clearly gave me the prayer for our seniors of Hebrews 11:38, "that the world would not be worthy of them." 

My prayer and charge to you today is to live your life so that the world would not be worthy of you. This is not because of who you are, but because as you grow increasingly more hidden in Christ throughout the course of your life, you become unseen, and He is seen. The older I grow, the more I'm aware this life of faith isn't a sprint; it's a life of step by step faith, often as Abraham in this passage, of going to the unknown places, relationships, and broken parts of this world.

Remember that as God's precious daughters (and sons), having been bought with a price to become the bride of Christ, you were created so that the world would not be worthy of you.

You were designed with a purpose: your emotionalism, your logic, gifts, talents...they were all specifically designed by God so that you may carry His mercy and truth to the lost and dark places He leads you to, in a way that only you can.

Remember this world is not your home. You were made for more than this. Don't settle. You were made for beauty, for intimacy with the Father, and for perfect fellowship with the body of Christ. On this earth, you will ache; even the beautiful moments will lead you to a deeper ache, because of their tastes of the Father; cling to those things, and know that as a daughter (and son) of the King, you really will look like Jesus one day.

So as you recognize these things, be courageous, and boldly serve and be the incarnation of Christ to the loveable and unloveable, the appealing and the untouchables. And know that because of your willingness to let Jamie and me be in your lives, we have tasted deeply of Jesus and long for Him so much more.