It’s graduation season!

I LOVE this time of year… for far too many reasons to account for here… but there are those who journey through this season with a mix of emotions.

As I’ve talked with members of the Class of 2012, I’ve typically found them to be a genuine mixture of nervous excitement.

They are more than ready to be done — at least with the academic requirements, deadlines and rigor… and much less so the social scene and comforts of this community, that has become their home, over the course of the past 4-ish years.

On the flip side, many of these same students are a bit unnerved about not having then next (several) steps of their life planned out.

And as I begin to dig a little, I often find that there is an element of paralysis when it comes to making any decisions about the future…

Why?

Because many students feel like this decision is the decision that will set the rest of their life in motion.

Is this the right job? What if there’s something better out there?

Should I make this move away? If I do, will I ever be able to leave?

Is now the right time to commit to this relationship? If so, how do I know???

And with the exception of that last question about committing one’s life to another, I try to help students to recognize that there are seldom few decisions we make that are meant to be “forever.”

Now, that’s not to say that the choices we make don’t have bearing on our future… because I think that they do, but it is meant to help them keep it all in perspective.

It’s a lot easier to look for the job you really want… when you’re not worried about paying your bills.  It’s OK to take a job that you may only have for a few months — or even a few years — while you work towards more fully understanding what it is you really want to do.

Likewise, a move out-of-town — or even out-of-state — doesn’t mean that you can’t ever move back. Sure, there are expenses involved — and that is one of the factors that will need to be weighed into the decision — but the reality is that you will probably never be more free to explore… or even take risks!

Ultimately in these conversations, I hope to point students back to their journey with Christ, and the seemingly endless possibilities about their future — and that this is all good! As God has been faithful to meet them in this place — surely God will be faithful to meet them in the next.

So I wonder,

• How do you talk with anxious students preparing to graduate?
• How do you help them to consider a different perspective when it comes to making decisions about their future?
• What one piece of advice do you hope to instill in the graduating seniors preparing to leave your campus?

Share your thoughts in the comment section below!