Congratulations! You made it! You must be so proud of all the hard work in achieving your degree. This is a great feat and so worth the sacrifice. It wasn’t easy but your efforts have paid off.

It was a nice sunny day after a good rainfall. My grandkids were stomping around in the mud making shapes with their shoes. The girls are older and were able to climb to the top of the slope. But little Joey had a stroke of fear as they called out his name to join them. All four years of his life experience didn’t equate to climbing that mountain just yet. He sighed deeply. Looking down at his shoes he began talking to himself. “Take the next step, you can do it”. His feet followed suit with what he had convinced his mind that he was capable of. He took the step and cheered to himself. “I did it, I did it”. He repeated this process several times. I was so proud. It took courage. He wanted to be brave. Everything within him wanted to reach the top. It was a precious lesson to witness.

It was hard work for you to complete each assignment and finish a class and I imagine many times you thought about quitting. But here you are—bigger than life—receiving your diploma. Oh, the places you will go. God has a plan and as you continue to walk in it, He will reveal amazing things to you through your obedience. Don’t shy away. He has already equipped you for the task. He doesn’t ask us to do things we already know how to do. Rather, His desire is to fill you full to overflowing as you lean in on Him to the task at hand. Trust Him. You know He is faithful. Serving Him can be exciting and terrifying all at the same time.