To My Daughter on Graduation Day

Congratulations! You made it. How did this happen so fast? My sweet, daddy-loving, person-caring girl flies past Sweet 16 on to high school graduation. Beautiful on the inside and the outside, you help make every day a bit better.

As you have wrapped up your senior year, I have been blessed to have you with me. I’m grateful you were able to spend your last year dually enrolled at Baptist Bible College. What a great accomplishment while working, serving in the church, doing life with many, and staying involved with the family. Lots of early mornings and late nights, but you made it both out of high school and into college fairly seamlessly.

As I did to your brother and as Solomon did so many years ago to his children, I want to write to you as a father to a daughter. This is a great day.

Looking Back…

Your Walk with Christ

Mom and I are so grateful that you love Jesus and people. Perfect? Not hardly. But growing! Absolutely.

You’re so much like your dad I guess – and every other person who has followed after Jesus. Will there be times that you look at your walk with Christ and wish that it were deeper, stronger, and more of a straight-line toward Christlikeness? Of course. But, God does not arrange our sanctification that way.

Instead, God promises that we can be confident that when God commenced a great work of grace in you at salvation, He will continue that work all the way until it is finished (Phil 1:6). God made you a new creation – His creation ready for good work (Eph 2:10). One of my favorite reminders of this is also from Paul when he writes, “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Phil 2:13). Think about that sweet girl, God is at work in you in His timing in His way.

In the future, whenever you look back at your walk with Christ since you were first saved as a very cute little girl, take heart that it was God working in you and through you. Again, perfect? No. All of us can look back and wish we would have changed a word here, a thought there, and an action somewhere else. Not one word, thought, or action, but many. When you think back on those moments, just know that Jesus has already covered all those sins and the lack of wisdom on the cross (cf., 1 John 2:1-2; Rom 8:1). You do not stand condemned; instead, you stand in Christ (Col 3:1-4) and are beloved by God (2 Thess 2:13-17).

I am thankful that you have lived obediently and sought to live a godly life. Beyond words I am grateful. I also know that our own sin nature and weaknesses can also be a burden on us too in our private thoughts. In these moments, I want you to remember it is God Who works in you.

Your Story a Beautiful Mosaic

Life certainly never goes just as we dream or hope. Most of life fits outside our control. We respond to life around us, but especially at your age, you have been responsible for very little of it. How God made you, who your parents are, your family, your friends, your church, and your schooling are all categories that fit outside your control. You transition now to where many of those items will begin to fall on your shoulders and become more of your responsibility.

But what about your story to date? How do all these things work together? Both of these questions reveal a great Bible truth for you to remember as you look backwards and as you dream forwards.

God works through every circumstance for your good! The Apostle Paul again helps us when he writes: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28). This verse provides us great confidence as we look through back and through all the circumstances of our lives. All things work together. How exciting. The things you had no control over – they fit inside all things. The things you had complete control over – they also fit inside all things. No matter how you view the circumstances in your life, God connects them all at the source of His plan.

What good does God have in mind? Paul continues. “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Rom 8:29). Catch this sweet girl. God orchestrates all of these things to produce a beautiful mosaic in your life of Christ. He helps you become conformed to the image of His Son through all these things. God works all things according to His purpose for your good – to be like Jesus Christ.

This means there are no wasted hurts or wasted days. Every tear you have shed God uses for your good. God graciously continues His good work in you!

Looking Ahead…

Your Walk with Christ

Your life continues. We do not know how many days we get, but we do know that every day we get is a gift of God. Think about how awesome it is that you get to walk with Christ. Every. Single. Day.

Sweet girl, my prayer for you is that you embrace your relationship with Jesus as the most important relationship in your life.

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving (Col 2:6-7).

Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27).

Jesus also said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me” (John 15:4).

As you travel through the ebb and flow of life, always prioritize Christ. Walk with Him. Talk to Him. Love Him. Follow Him.

Your Story a Beautiful Mosaic

As you look ahead, no doubt you dream about what it may be like. On so many levels we wonder what the future will look like for you. Career. Service. Relationships. Family. Education. Life’s circumstances. Your mom and I have been wondering these things for the past eighteen years and will continue to do so with you. We look out as far as we can, and all we see is the sovereignty of God. We do not know what all these things will be. At this point, your story continues to be written. We trust God’s providence in your life as these things roll out.

Will God bring you a husband some day? Who knows?! All we know at this point that, if that happens, he must be daddy-approved!

Will God continue to allow you to travel and serve Him? Who knows?! Maybe He will.

Will God … will God … will God? We do not know.

However, what we do know is that God will continue to work in your life with His gracious providential care. Many years from now – whether at Kentucky Lake sitting around a fire with some homemade ice cream or by the pool or you by us in the nursing home or around the throne in heaven, we will look back and rehearse God’s care for you. We do know that answer.

Solomon instructed us so many years ago: “[God] He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put darkness in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God” (Eccl 3:11-13).

Essentially what he says is that we know everything fits perfectly in God’s plan; however, we do not know what comes next nor do we specifically know how it connected to what came last. But this we do know – whatever is on our plate right now is our gift from God for today. Even though they are in the future and we do not know what they are, embrace life as the gift of God.

Day by Day…

Your Walk with Christ

As you live every day from this your graduation day forward, my prayer for you is that you will love and obey Jesus. In the moment. As you wake up…as you lay down…as you walk…as you run…as you work…as you relax…as you pursue friendships…as you live. How best do you do that?

Remember God’s purpose for your life daily!

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma (Eph 5:1-2).

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ,… (2 Cor 5:20).

Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him (2 Cor 5:9).

Live every day sweetheart for the glory of God. Nothing could ever make your Heavenly Father or your earthly father more happy than that!

Your Story a Beautiful Mosaic

Speaking of a happy daddy… I don’t know what your story looks like day by day. I’m not sure what God has in store. At this point, I have no idea what all your decisions will be. But I can tell you what I hope they will be. Again, I’m going to depend upon the Bible for my words…

“If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15).

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. (1 John 2:3-6)

As you story develops, my prayer for you is that you will love Jesus deeply and obey Him completely. Solomon said, “Let’s hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments” (Eccl 12:13-14). He gave the Old Testament version of love Jesus deeply and obey Him completely.

There will be days you don’t enjoy your story. Of course there will be many other days that you love every moment of it and enjoy all the feels. But whatever part of the mosaic you are on, embrace it for that day, love Jesus deeply, obey Him completely, and trust Him fully.

As we often remind you… love God supremely and love others sincerely. Just different ways of saying the same thing. But oh so important sweet girl!

Two final ideas…

As I wrote to your bother, two final ideas.

First, as much as today seems about you and your fellow graduates, this day is ultimately about God. God is the One Who has made this day possible. Therefore, we do not want to let this day pass without incredible gratitude to God.

Second, I love you. I am proud of you. I look forward to seeing how God uses your talents, personality, intellect, and fun-loving soul in orchestration together to do big things for Him.

As this chapter ends and a new one begins, mom and I are acutely aware of the temporary nature of parenting. We will enjoy walking with you in life as you live for Christ.

Love, Dad