Graduation and "A Graduation"

It was June 18^th, 1971; it was my high school graduation, and the greatest day of my life! Well not exactly. Certainly, graduation day was nice, and all the festivities associated with it, but looking back it actually changes in its significance. My marriage, my children, and of course my Savior far exceed anything that day represents. Hence, I would like to share a quick story about it.

On the actual night of my graduation from High School, I began working 11-7 at a local paper mill, making all kinds of paper. The first night and on my first break, two guys began to witness to me about Jesus Christ. For the entire week at every lunch break, they brought up the importance of knowing Jesus personally. I cordially listened to them and even said it sounded good. I also made some comments about not wanting or needing to get involved. I just graduated from high school and was off to college to play some baseball. I didn’t need anything else. My way was okay.

To make a very long story short, jump ahead 17 years. I completed college, got married, had children, and was saved by Jesus my Lord, June 23, 1980. We had moved away from the area for many years living at the Jersey Shore. We moved back to get closer tom family. I started a counseling job at the Phillipsburg School District. Shortly thereafter, I began to speak and preach on various topics at churches in Phillipsburg area. There was a growing concern for young people getting involved in serious ungodly activities, ranging from drugs to satanism. I had several encounters with students on the road to becoming priests in a local satanic groups. I also was dealing with students seemingly one right after the other going to rehab for alcohol and drug abuse.

The Lord opened doors for me to speak on various topics. I called the series Satan's Bag of Tricks. I covered topics from alcohol and drugs to rock music and the world of the occult. One Sunday I was preaching and teaching at a church in beautiful downtown Alpha, NJ, the Lord really blessed, and it was a great time. I was scheduled to do five Sunday school sessions, and this was the first one. It was sort of an introduction, and it seemed to go well. After the service, a man came up to me and asked if I recognized him. He looked familiar but I wasn’t sure where our paths may have crossed. He said his name was Bill and at that point he began to cry. I thought it a little strange that a grown man would come up to me and start crying.

The reason why he was crying was that for 20 years he and his brother-in-law had been praying for a particular high school graduate to get saved. I was in fact, that high school graduate. He said he was greatly blessed and humbled by the power and longsuffering of God. He asked me if I remembered what I said to him the last time we talked at that paper mill. Of course, I said I did not remember. He said my response was as follows: "What you are saying makes sense, but I do not want to be a robot, and then I walked away."

My point, simply, graduation is a nice tradition. It is important time for family, whether it is graduation from kindergarten, 8^th grade, high school, college, or medical school.  However, If God is not the most important part and if biblical principles are not the key ingredient, then it is much less significant. You just might become a robot of your own making.

Seek neither poverty or riches, nor knowledge or fame but rather: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God” {Mt. 6:33} and be sure to go God’s way not your own. {Prov. 3:1-4}.

In His Name,

Bro. Bob P.