This past Sunday we took the opportunity to honor our graduates. They have reached a significant milestone in their lives, and now they have many more decisions to make as they begin their lives as adults. Soon, they will be making the decision about what to do with the rest of their lives, who to marry and to begin a family.

Each society trains and rears its children differently. The Jews believe that a boy becomes a man at the age of 12, and celebrate this with the Bar Mitzvah ceremony. Other societies set the age younger than this, still others set the age at older than twelve. There are “rites of passage” in every society, and culture often dictates how that will be. In our society, we set the age when one graduates high school.
It is sad that, in so many situations today, our schools do not prepare our young people for what they will have to face. This is why God has always stated that it is the responsibility of the parents to “bring their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). It is the parents’ responsibility to “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). And it is so sad that many children are growing up in a world that does not understand these principles. It is so sad that many children DO NOT have the parental base on which to build their lives, and it is sadder still that many parents have abdicated their responsibilities in these important matters. Truly, on judgment day, America will have to answer for what we have done for our children, and to our children.

Our graduates, and our children, need:

1. OUR PRAYERS. They have so many decisions to make, and many of these decisions will affect them for the rest of their lives. Deciding how to make a living for the rest of their lives is a major decision. Deciding who to marry is one of the greatest decisions—as many homes have been ripped asunder by divorce and this has contributed to many of our problems in our society today. I often think about the fact that the GREATEST thing we can do for our children BEFORE they are born is to pray to God for them, and constantly pray for them as they grow, mature, and make these hard decisions.

2. OUR SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT. As children make decisions, they will make mistakes. As adults we make mistakes as well in our decisions. Our children need to know that mistakes are not final—they need to learn from them and go on. They need to know that while we cannot support the sin in their lives, we can and do support them as they try to do better. This is why God gave us families—for the support system HE knew we would need as we faced this world. This is why God gave the church—for edification, for encouragement, and for the necessary reproof and rebuke we sometimes need.

3. OUR LOVE. The world will hurt our children. It is not a question of if, but a question of when. Our children need to know, that no matter what, we love them and will be there for them. You see, God has shown us that by showing us and demonstrating HIS LOVE by sending His Son to die for us on a cruel cross. I may struggle with trials and fight battles with Satan, but I can never question God’s love for me. All I have to do is look at a cross on a hill outside of Jerusalem, and know that.

Let us pray for all of our graduates and all of our children daily. Let us support them and encourage them and above all, love them as they go out in this world.