In the verse Jeremiah 29:11, God declares, “For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.”
Now this quote means a lot to me, because for four years this quote was written on the whiteboard in my room and bookmarked in my Bible. Throughout all of high school this particular word from God gave me a sense of peace when I was thinking about where my life is headed. Through all of my triumphs and tragedies I was constantly reminded of God’s presence. Through injuries, State tournaments, bad days, Band concerts, difficult classes, fun nights with my friends, the stress of choosing a college, and the joy of getting accepted to my dream school, UW-Madison, I have had these words and the constant presence of God in my life to guide me and bring me to my high school graduation just as He has done the same for my fellow classmates.
It is important for all 2016 graduates to know that wherever we end up, we not only have God, but the entirety of our support systems and the relationships that we have formed during our time in school. Through talking with fellow graduates, whether they go to McFarland High School or are attending college with me next year, I can see in their eyes the deep passion that each and every one of them has when talking about their future hopes and dreams. The fire in everyone’s eyes is inspiring and is truly God’s work.
And even if the inevitable happens and life doesn’t go as planned and doesn’t have that fairy tale ending that we all had in mind, as heartbreaking as it may be, we will be OK. Believing in the power of this verse doesn’t clear our life of suffering and pain, but with the power of God and all of this things that he has carried us through and provided us with, we can have the reassurance that we can be brave and bold and forever have someone to guide us.
But before we head off on this next great adventure, we must all spend these last few weeks enjoying these relationships and moments that God has given to us. Like every Senior class, we all look forward to the end of high school and all of its baggage and the beginning of this next great adventure. However, I have noticed that we’ve been so busy naming all of the things we dislike and can’t wait to leave behind and move on from that we’ve forgotten about the things we love dearly and will miss full-heartedly and will make leaving for good unimaginable.
Each and every person has a long list of things that they won’t miss at all. Trust me, I have my own. But we all have powerful things that we will yearn for again and again for the rest of our lives. And a lot of times, the most powerful moments and relationships are the ones that morph and change us and allow us to learn and grow.
For me, I will miss my fellow captain and closest friend and our oil and vinegar relationship that works together and leads our teammates. I will miss my teachers that geek out over derivatives and politics and laugh so hard they can’t breathe, yet still challenge us to think in profound and deep ways. I will miss my coaches and the sport of cross country and track that have shaped my life and made me who I am today, as awful as some workouts and races may have gone and how frustrating the sport can be. I will miss my closest friends, whether we’ve been close for a decade, a few years, or in some special cases, only a few weeks and how they have shaped my life and allowed me to grow in my own way beside them as they have done so in their own way.
It is important to ask yourself what you will miss. Even if you are sure that high school is the worst and a soon-to-be thing of the past, or if you had the time of your life in high school, what will you miss? I am surely convinced that each and every one of us (as the graduates) has these moments and relationships that we will miss dearly. So as a challenge to my classmates, pay attention to the things that will be missed after we go through this momentous milestone of graduation. And look for how God gave you these relationships and aspects of your life and how they have made you who you are. Positive moments and negative moments, good relationships and poor relationships, big occasions and little details. Thank God and these people and these moments for the impact they have had on your life. For all of these moments and relationships have been sent to us by God to change our life for the better and make us into the individuals we are today and the people we will be tomorrow.
