Three Truths for the College Grad

Dear College Grad,

Congratulations! You made it! 

Now that the chaos of finals and commencement have passed, you’ve probably found yourself sorting through an array of different emotions. Maybe for you fear is predominant: you face an unknown future and your next steps aren’t certain yet. Maybe you only feel excitement: you’ve been waiting for this day and it’s finally here. Or maybe you feel a mixture of emotions swirling together inside of you like oil and vinegar. 

Whatever the case may be, here are three truths to cling to as you move into this new season.

1. What you’re doing right now matters to the kingdom. 

The time right after you graduate is a liminal space and one that can be full of comparisons if you’re not careful.

• Someone starts their dream job right away, while someone else settles into what they hope is a temporary position. 
• Someone applies to grad school and makes it in, and someone else doesn’t. 
• Someone gets married to their high school sweetheart, while someone else wonders if they’ll ever get married.
• Someone moves somewhere sunny and warm, and someone else moves back to their hometown.

It’s easy to wish that you were doing what one of your fellow graduates is doing instead of staying focused on faithfully doing the work that the Lord has put before you. In the mundane or the extraordinary, what you’re doing right now matters to the kingdom. If you are a follower of Jesus, every single thing you do is kingdom work. Consider Colossians 3:17, 23–24:

And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. . . . Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ. 

Don’t look at this time right out of college as a wasted transition or “just” a season of waiting for the next thing. Approach it intentionally. Work with passion and joy as unto the Lord, and remember that nothing is wasted in God’s economy. There is purpose in what you’re doing because you belong to the Lord.

2. Jesus is better than the world’s best thing.

After graduation, so many things shift. Your priorities, your routines, and even your relationships. In the midst of these changes, it can be tempting to look elsewhere (even unintentionally) for satisfaction, fulfillment, and identity.

The world may offer you status, riches, security, relationships, answers, and pleasures of all kinds, but Jesus is better than the world’s best thing. The things that the world offers you will fade, but the promises of God remain steadfast. 

He gives life (John 10:10), grace (John 1:16-18), peace (Phil. 4:7), and identity (2 Cor. 4:17). The world’s water will leave you thirsty, but Jesus offers you water so that you will never thirst again (John 4:14). 

Spend time cultivating your relationship with the Lord through prayer and Scripture reading. Find a local church that teaches the Word of God and get involved there. Spend time with God’s people and spur one another on toward love and good deeds (Heb. 10:24). 

The world will call out to you about all that it has to offer, but hold fast to Jesus because He is infinitely better. 

3. “God is faithful. You can trust Him.” 

This is something that Dr. Thomas White, Cedarville University’s president, has said countless times to those of us who passed through the halls of my alma mater. So much so that the phrase has permanently saturated my thinking, and I’m grateful for it. Why? Because nothing is better at bolstering you through the trials of life than remembering the faithfulness of God. 

In times of celebration and times of mourning, in contentment and desperation, in strength and in weakness, remember the faithfulness of the Lord. When things are difficult, God is faithful. When things are easy, God is faithful. Your circumstances do not negate the goodness or faithfulness of God. 

God is faithful. Full stop.

Because God is faithful, you can trust Him. He is not going to let you down. Things may seem difficult or uncertain from your perspective, but they are never so for the Lord. Nothing can thwart His purposes (Prov. 18:10). So, trust Him with your doubts, trust Him with your fears, trust Him with sickness, and pain, and suffering. Trust Him with big decisions and small decisions. Trust Him with your life. 

A Benediction

As you set out onto this new path that the Lord has set before you, cling to these precious truths from God’s Word, but most of all, cling to Jesus.

“May the Lord bless you and protect you;
may the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you; 
may the Lord look with favor on you
and give you peace.”
—Numbers 6:24–26

At Revive Our Hearts we believe there’s no better news to share with women of all ages than the life-transforming truth of the gospel. That’s why the heart of our message is the same today as it has been for more than twenty years—because now, more than ever, women need to experience the freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness that only Christ can give.

This month, as we come to the end of our fiscal year, Revive Our Hearts is asking the Lord to provide $828,000 through generous friends like you. When you partner with us financially, you become a part of sharing God’s love, grace, and good design with women like Jody and her daughter. Would you consider giving your gift by May 31 to help us finish this fiscal year strong?