Bjcorbin's Blog

As a person whose only graduation occurred more than a quarter century ago, I caught myself pondering what I might share with the young people who are taking this significant step in their journey.  What follows are some things that came to mind.

1.      Life is not a ride, it’s a journey.  A ride is simply being carried along to wherever the vehicle happens to be going, while a journey has an ultimate destination, which requires some navigation and effort to complete.  Unless we purpose in our heart to be someone or do something, we are likely to live life like a pinball; propelled by gravity and bouncing from one obstacle to another.  Anything worthwhile in life will require some investment on our part; those who are unwilling to make such an investment will generally be pushed along by the winds of circumstance to some uncertain end.

2.      Planting apple seeds won’t get you an orange tree.  Just as dependable as the law of gravity is the concept that we will reap (i.e. harvest) what we sow (i.e. plant).  Though this phrase is immediately recognizable to most people, there are few who actually live as though it were true.  Our human nature will often cause us to be unforgiving with other people, while expecting generosity in return; to be deceptive about our motivations, while expecting others to deal with us honestly and to be selfish about our desires, while expecting others to be considerate of us.  We must always remain conscious of the fact that the cup we use to dispense blessing, is the cup that we will eventually drink our blessings from.

3.      What other people believe about you isn’t as important as what you believe about yourself.  Only the things which we genuinely believe have the ability to impact how we live.  Therefore the only words (positive or negative) that have the power to move us are those which we accept as truth.  If a man concludes that he is a failure, no amount of praise or encouragement can bring him to victory; and if a man concludes that he is an over-comer, no amount of criticism can hold him back.  While we are generally powerless to keep others from speaking about us, we possess the ultimate responsibility for what we are willing to accept as truth.

4.      The bad guys don’t necessarily wear black, nor do the good guys necessarily wear white.  It is very convenient to categorize people and things as either good or evil, but very few things (& even fewer people) actually fit well in either category.  Because of our fallen nature, every man possesses the potential to do what is evil; and yet because we were created in the image of God, we also come with a capacity for righteousness.  While few people are likely to pursue something that is clearly evil, all of us are susceptible to fall to those things which we have mistakenly classified as being “good”. 

5.      The pursuit of happiness is like chasing your shadow.  Before we were in our mothers’ womb, God knew us and He created each one us to fulfill a unique place in His creation.  If we never come to an understanding of what that place is, we spend our lives feeling empty and as though we never really fit in.  Joy, contentment, fulfillment, happiness… cannot be the object of our pursuit; but undoubtedly they are the things that will accompany us if we pursue God and His purposes in our lives.

6.      American Idolatry.  In America we love the image of the rugged individualist, the “self-made” man and even the rebel; but because we were made to worship God, we will undoubtedly worship something and because we were made to be followers of God, we will undoubtedly follow something.  Whatever we chose to worship and follow in this life will certainly be our provision in the next. 

7.      Don’t eat everything that is put in front of you.  In the first chapter of the book of Daniel we see the Israelites being brought into exile, as the King of Babylon looks for the best & the brightest amongst their young people.  His plan was to indoctrinate them into the Babylonian (i.e. pagan) way of thinking; and upon finding them he fed them from his very own table, which undoubtedly represented the best of what was available.  We also learn that these young men were not willing to partake of everything that was set before them, which seems to have been a significant part of their preparation for the stunning victories that they would later experience (i.e. in the lions den & in the fiery furnace).  Just as it was then, there is now a prince, who is seeking the best & the brightest young minds amongst God’s chosen people, so that he might indoctrinate them in the ways of this fallen world.  Like their brothers from long ago, these young people must also be discerning of what is being offered and what they should digest.    

8.      Don’t chase the “American Dream”.  The “American Dream” began simply as a promise of opportunity and freedom; but as that promise was realized, the dream evolved into something much less virtuous.  Pursuit of this dream drives us to be more focused on what is seen (i.e. temporary) than on what is unseen (i.e. eternal); to prioritize our desires above the needs of others; and to derive our sense of worth & security from things instead of from our Creator.  Like any dream, we are all destined to one day wake up and in that day we will face the ultimate reality, which is eternity.

9.      Expect to meet resistance.  We live in a culture that is obsessed with winning and that tends to portray the road to victory as a glorious parade; but the truth is that unless there is resistance, there is nothing to make us grow stronger.  If the Son of God (a man with perfect faith), learned obedience from the things He suffered, we can be sure that this will be a part of our journey as well.  As Children of God, we’ve been issued armor, given a sword and been called more than conquerors; undoubtedly the God who foreknew us was telling us what to expect.

10. You can always come home.  All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; undoubtedly this will be true in the years to come as well.  In God’s mercy He does not require perfection of us, but He does expect sincerity.  He is faithful to reward those who “diligently seek Him” and to work all things to the good of those who “love Him” and who are “called to His purpose”.  Remember that no matter where your journey takes you, you’ve never traveled beyond the boundaries of His love.