West Grand High School Baccalaureate 2010

I got asked to address the graduates of my old Alma Mater at this year's baccalaureate address. For those who followed my preparation saga on Facebook I thought you might like to read what I finally came up with. The various colors and type were to help me with the oral delivery. It will be a long read so grab a cup of coffee first. Thanks for all your help!
22 years ago about this same time of year I was sitting right where you are. I am a West Grand Mustang with my picture on the wall and a fondness for purple and gold. But that was 22 years ago, a long long time by your standards—I’m ancient. But the years give a new perspective. Someone said that “Life must be lived forward—unfortunately it can only be understood backward.” I’m looking backward at this moment in my life while you are currently in the midst of it. While you are drinking it in fresh and new I’m dusting off an old memory from way back.

Graduation is a rite of passage (a ritual associated with a change of status), an accomplishment punctuated by a ceremony, celebrations and parties. It is a big deal.

I can tell you that part of you will always think back on this town, this school and these classmates as home. 22 years after the fact I still remember my classmate Curt singing at graduation, I still remember some of the highlights from my football games, the crazy things that we did our senior year. You are going to remember this stuff as well. You will call these people your friends and classmates forever.

But at this rite of passage, this point in your life, there is no doubt that things are changing. You will not be in school here next year. You will be on to new and different things, many of you to new and different places with new and different people. College, work, travel…

Are you ready? Can you make the right decisions? Go the right way? How will you know? How will you decide?

This is an important time with a lot of weighty decisions that you will have to make. Some of the decisions and paths will be laying the foundation for the rest of your life.

School can teach you math and science and reading and writing. But it hasn’t shown itself so successful at teaching morals and spiritual things. You may have the book knowledge required to graduate, but are you prepared to live life like you should?

When I was thinking about what to say in this talk at baccalaureate I posed the question to my Facebook friends. As the comments rolled in, one piece of advice that stuck out was “Tell them to Follow their Hearts.”

The heart is a good place to start.

The Bible says in Matthew 6 verse 21 that where a person’s treasure is, there your heart will be also.

We see this all the time—the things a person values or desires most are what they chase—what they put their hearts into. If you want a big trophy elk on the wall you hunt your heart out. If you want to win at basketball or volleyball or track you work hard, practice hard, listen to the coach and put everything you have into the effort. If you are all about money or status or popularity or politics you can chase those things. Many times this works. You can achieve what you work and strive for.

But this is a little tricky. The Bible also says in Luke 6 beginning in verse 44:

⁴⁴Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. ⁴⁵The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

The heart can be evil or good. The fruit of evil is evil. Good produces good. Is it really following your heart that makes you happy, fulfilled and content? Do any of those things make your life worthwhile?

· I’ve talked to guys wearing Superbowl rings who felt empty after the game.

· I’ve met rich people who are never happy.

· I’ve met popular people who can’t stand to be alone with themselves.

But let me tell you a story about the last time I was in Ghana, West Africa.

I was helping with a village medical outreach in the small village of Akurakese. It was the second day in that village. The doctors and nurses had seen around 250 patients the previous day. The rest of us were helping count pills, control the crowds, teaching about basic hygiene and hand-washing, playing games with the kids and helping wherever needed. On the second day we drove up in our vans to start the day. We had a lot of stuff to set up and get going for the day. As we got out of the vans there was already a crowd of people from the community. Since it’s Africa it was expected in that culture that we greet everyone and exchange pleasantries. So, still in my task-oriented mindset, I started shaking hands and saying “Hello, how are you today?” to everyone. Then when I asked one man this basic question he stopped me in my tracks with his answer: “I’m blessed and highly favored. How are you?” Not a “I’m fine, thank you.” Or “I’m doing well.” He upped the ante to “blessed and highly favored.” And , you know what--the joy showed on his face. The happiness was shining all over him. He had the spring in his step and joy leaking out in full-out smiles. This guy lived in a mud hut with a grass roof. Until just recently he drank murky, polluted water. He probably had three pairs of pants total. No chance for riches, education, or even owning a car. And yet he considered himself “Blessed and Highly favored.”

I can tell you from my travels around the world that many of the things our society here in America defines as “success” don’t bring happiness or peace.

Almost half the world — over three billion people on this planet — live on less than $2.50 a day. I’ve met a lot of these people who are filled with joy. They laugh and joke and love and give and share.

On the other hand, poverty doesn’t equal happiness. I’ve met plenty of the world’s poor who are deceptive, greedy, resentful and unhappy. Once again it points to the state of our hearts.

So if our heart follows what we treasure we need to be careful what we are treasuring. We need to be in touch with our heart. We need to ask ourselves the tough questions and figure out where our treasure is and decide where it should be.

This takes courage.

But remember you are laying a foundation. You are right now laying the building blocks for the rest of your life. This is important stuff.

Jesus talks about the importance of a good foundation right after he talked about judging a tree by its fruit in Luke chapter 6:

⁴⁷I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. ⁴⁸He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. ⁴⁹But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."

Did you catch what Jesus said? He said the person who hears him and puts his words into practice lays a good foundation that will weather the storm.

Right now at the end of High School as you are looking ahead at the next steps for your life know this: The condition of your heart is more important to God than the path you choose. Whether you are going to college or to work—or whatever you do—he is more concerned that you are listening and obeying Him than most anything else. He loves a teachable heart. The Bible says that through Jesus your heart can be purified, changed and redeemed. A heart like that can weather a storm.

I challenge you to take some time after the dust settles on this rite of passage that we call “Graduation” and courageously take time to listen to your heart. This is going to require courage. This is going to require a break from the frenetic activity that we call life these days. Cell phones, video games, crowds, busyness, loud music, incessant texting, —none of these things make it easy to listen to your heart. Turn them all off. Get quiet. Focus.

A writer named Martin R. De Haan II calls it “Sanctuary.” A place to go for new understanding and perspective. He says it’s a place set apart for spiritual protection, rest and renewal. He says it’s a spiritual hiding place where our hearts are restored and strengthened for the struggles of today and the challenges of tomorrow. It sounds like a good place to start building that strong foundation you will need to face the world.

Go there.

Take note of what you treasure. Ask yourself if it will weather a storm, ask yourself what kind of fruit it will produce, think about true happiness and fulfillment. Don’t settle for less. Life, what the Bible calls abundant life, is out there. It’s waiting for you. Go Get it.

Let’s Pray:

I Pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ would give you wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart will be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. I pray that out of God’s glorious riches he may strengthen you with power in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

(adapted from Paul’s prayers to the Ephesians)