The Message of Today's Graduation Addresses
Commentary by Rex Sexton
United Church of God pastor, Olympia and Tacoma, Washington
Graduation time is here once again! High schools
and colleges are honoring students who have worked and studied to receive
a diploma or degree. But what messages are these graduates hearing? What
themes are drummed into their ears as they move to the next level of
life?
"Look inside yourself for answers!" "Question authority!" "Seek
your own values!" "Live life as you want to live it!"
I have been attending graduations for almost as long as I can remember.
Not only for my own three children who are now graduating from college,
but as a pastor I try to attend the graduation ceremonies of youth in
the congregations I serve. About twenty years ago I began to notice a
marked change in the messages given by graduation keynote speakers.
In previous years young graduates were almost always admonished to
stand by the principles of honesty, integrity, selflessness, diligence
and service as they made their way into the world. Biblical principles
were alluded to and speakers often quoted the great wisdom of the founders
of our nation or its greatest leaders such as Lincoln, Jefferson or Washington.
Not any more!
If you attend a graduation at a school near you this year it is likely
that you will hear a message about how great the self is. Following
the mantra of the times, you will hear graduates bathed in flattery about
the goodness in each one of us and how they must always trust their feelings
and instincts.
A line that I hear regularly is: "Find your own values and then
live by them." Does this really make sense? The graduate is told
to set himself up as the ultimate authority, to choose and set his own
guidelines for life. But what if he is tempted to break these values?
The answer is simple. Since he is the lawgiver, he just changes the values
to fit whatever he wants to do!
The message that this often repeated graduation theme sends is that
everyone is his own ultimate authority. To understand where this message
is taking us just look at the current trends in Western society. Prisons
are overflowing, 30% of all babies born in the U.S. are born out of wedlock,
illegal drug use is an ever growing social cancer and corruption at all
levels of business and government is in the news as never before. Also
as a result of marriage and the traditional family being maligned and
denigrated, millions of people are living sad and lonely lives.
What messages should our young graduates hear as they begin life as
responsible adults? They should be reminded of how precious liberty is
and how it is only kept through diligence. A few heart-stirring quotes
from Nathan Hale, Thomas Paine, Ben Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore
Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan and other honored forefathers would do.
Next they would benefit from being reminded that there is a Creator
and that He is the legitimate lawgiver. The principle of Proverbs 3:5
could be read. It advises, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and lean not to your own understanding" followed by verse 7, "Do
not be wise in your own eyes." Perhaps some additional biblical
principles could be thrown in such as "Your reward will be according
to your works" (Mathew 16:27) and "What a man sows he shall
also reap" (Galatians 6:7).
Due to the political climate in Western society today, it is likely
that few graduates this year will hear the kind of messages that they
truly need for success in life. If you have graduates in your family
why not take the time to give them some valuable information for their
future? Give each of them a Bible! Ask them to treasure it and read it
regularly, to become acquainted with the teachings of their Creator.
He has given us laws to live by and principles to guide our lives.
 The
real success stories in life come to those who live by the timeless principles
found in God's Word. To explain His instructions in
ways young people can understand and to provide practical reasons for
choosing a lifestyle in harmony with God, why not introduce your graduates
to our youth and young adult oriented website, www.verticalthought.org?
Here they can always find biblically based answers to life's challenges
and the opportunity to order their own free subscription to Vertical
Thought: a magazine of understanding for tomorrow's leaders.
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