God's Victorious Graduate
You did it! You made it through high school and now it's time to frame your diploma for your successful completion of studies. You are the new holder of a degree and this makes you a strong finisher.
With this momentum, it's time to move up the ranks, head boldly into the big world, and mark some more goals off your list. But before you jump out into the deep, blue ocean of college and career, let's take a moment to pause and consider what made you God's Victorious Graduate in the first place. How did you get this far?
It's good to recall the goodness of God in our lives. It's good for us to acknowledge the times He was there when the peer pressure was so painful, when our friends betrayed us, when our dates disappointed us, when we felt left out and the times when we were on top of it all. It's good to give God the glory for how He carried you through the corridors of your high school campus — when you couldn't make it on our own. From this remembrance, you stir your faith for the future, faith that will help you finish every race strong.
Here's an idea for a practical way you can hold God’s goodness close to your heart.
Make a list of all God did on your behalf in the lesser days and tuck it away in your Bible, journal, or scrapbook. Your list will serve as a place you can point back to, as you step forward into the greater days to come. Note your recollections of salvation, deliverance, mission trips, and youth group gatherings. Thinking about these special times when God impacted your life with His touch will keep you rooted and grounded in your faith in the days to come. Make your list today while high school memories are still fresh in your mind.
The details of your life are important to God. He works in specific matters. Every aspect of your plans is key to Him. Psalm 37: 23 declares, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.” (NKJV) But it up to you to make the choice that you will continue to honor God as you become a young adult.
When our lives are hidden in Christ, we find our greatest triumphs. In the book of Acts, Paul said, "I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me — the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace." (20:24, NIV)
A Christian life that is characterized by victory and success is a life empty of oneself and full of Jesus. As we continually pour ourselves out to the Lord in prayer and choose to lay down our purposes to proclaim His, we become God's Victorious Graduate in every way, every day.
You were created to be a winner!
Never forget you are God’s. And He is so very proud of you!
~ Jackie O.