Here we are. This is being written on the last day of the
Spring 2020 Semester and I haven’t seen you in person for something like seven
or eight weeks. Even more importantly, you all haven’t been able to see your
classmates, teammates, best friends, and a host of other relational descriptors
for that time either. Hopefully you would include some great faculty members,
coaches, and staff in those “relational descriptors” as well.
This is not how your final semester of college was supposed
to end!
But it did.
Now what?
I want to answer the “Now what?” question by first
encouraging you to be grateful for those in places of leadership at Point. I
promise you that we didn’t move from in-seat, regular routine to online, no
routine just to have something to do. And graduation didn’t become virtual instead
of more communal because of a lack of courage on the part of Point leaders.
I’ve been a part of Point longer than most, if not all, of
the 2020 graduates have been alive. In those 43 years we have faced lots of difficult
moments and survived. This particular moment may be the most difficult of all
of those moments – but it isn’t the first, and not likely to be the last time
we face serious challenges. I’m confident God wants us to survive.
Point is moving carefully in these unique moments. Please
don’t confuse “caution” and insistence upon reviewing all the options as “hesitation
borne of fear.” And please don’t confuse groups – unfortunately some “Christian
groups” – who move recklessly and call that courage.
You would likely be surprised at how many people have
participated in countless zoom meetings over the past seven or eight weeks in
order to determine the best path forward. A reckless leader might simply say “we
are back to normal by mid-summer.” A courageous leader will say, “let’s make
the best decision we can – with God’s help – to lead Point into its next
opportunity to be a kingdom outpost impacting our culture for Christ.
There is something like 200 people graduating Saturday
morning. I can remember when we didn’t have 200 students, total! But God has
greatly blessed Point with authentic kingdom leadership and He has obviously
blessed that kind of leadership with fruitful, fulfilling opportunities “to educate
students for Christ-centered service and leadership throughout the world.”
Leaders whose vocabulary is
exhausted with the word “successful” have yet to read Scripture well. “Fruitful”
is a better word. It won’t always be the same as our culture’s definition of “successful,”
but it will always reflect the heart of Jesus. Leaders who can only talk of “happiness”
and “wealth” and “health,” are equally unfamiliar with Scripture. “Fulfillment”
and “significance” are much better words.
None of that is to suggest we should
be comfortable as “failures” and “miserable,” but it is to suggest that in the
coming new world, we have an amazing opportunity to change the conversation of
a culture that has pursued “stuff” at the expense of “life” in ways that have
failed us.
What if the 2020 graduates of
Point University determined that they will take seriously the call of Jesus to
follow Him and decide that things like feeding the hungry, giving water to the
thirsty, welcoming strangers, clothing the naked, visiting the sick, taking
care of the prisoners, and such “fruitful” and “fulfilling” are more important
than the “stuff” our culture has pushed us toward? (Matthew 25:31ff.)
One of my favorite things about
graduation is to take pictures with students either before or after the
ceremony. We can’t do that this year.
That’s sad.
But . . . once we get beyond “social
distancing” and “shelter in place” – everyone one of you can come to West Point
and ask your professors to take pictures with you. I’ll even bring my academic
regalia if that would make you happy!
On this “commencement-eve” as we
think about what might have been tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m., let me
encourage you to think about “what can be, not just tomorrow, but for eternity.”
God has great options for each of you – it’s just a matter of stepping up to
the plate and swinging the bat!
God bless each of you. I’m so
grateful that I’ve been a part of Point while you were a student. Some of you
have spent lots of time in class with me, many haven’t. But I promise you –
your presence at Point has been a blessing and opportunity for me.
May God richly bless you as you
step into a new world of opportunity tomorrow morning about noon time!
Don’t confuse “courage” with
recklessness,” and don’t confuse “caution” with cowardice. You’ve had great
models at Point. Look at them. Follow their lead.
[Not every Point graduate follows
me on social media, so if you see this, please forward to your friends!]
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