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First Friday Prayers: Words for the Graduates

May 5, 2023 by Lauren 4 Comments

Words for the graduatesHere we are in May.  Graduations for high school seniors, college students, pre-schoolers and kindergartners lurk just around the corner.  I volunteered to help plan the baccalaureate service for my daughter’s class.  If you aren’t familiar with the baccalaureate tradition, it is a religious service – often interfaith – held before commencement with a sermon featuring farewell words for the graduates.  In our case, it is student and parent led and held off campus.

 

Wanting to make sure my girl got to experience this sweet custom, I met with a group of other moms and discussed speakers, worship songs and scripture readings.  Colossians 1:9-12 was bandied about as a great passage for these kids entering a new phase of life.  And now I can’t stop praying it for my girl.

 

For this reason we also, since the day we heard about it, have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the [a]knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, [b]to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and [c]increasing in the [d]knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to [e]His glorious might, [f]for the attaining of all perseverance and [g]patience; joyously 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us [h]to share in the inheritance of the [i]saints in light. NASB

 

I also prayed this passage repeatedly for my now grown bonus son during his teenaged years.  There is so much here.  We could pray a different piece of this passage every day of the week for our loved ones.  But for our First Friday Prayer purposes, I’ll condense my prayer to these words for the graduates:

Replace the pronouns with the appropriate ones for the person (or yourself) that you are praying for.  Non-graduates included.  This passage is great to pray year-round.  And I’m praying for you in this.  Don’t forget to share on social media or with a friend who could benefit.  It would mean so much to me.  And if you don’t want to miss a Praying God’s Word Wednesday, subscribe over on the right hand side of this page.

Lauren

And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

I enjoyed reading Beth Willis Miller’s thoughts on Psalm 23.  The passage is so familiar but her post proves how living and active God’s Word is.  Always learning something new.

 

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Mortar Boards and the Sweetness of God

June 8, 2018 by Lauren 28 Comments

 

“So that Christ my dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”  Ephesians 3:17-19 NIV

 

If you have been following along with me the last few weeks, you probably know that my daughter Shelby’s high school graduation has been an emotional time for me.  It’s not been typical, but nothing about my girl is.  If you feel like you missed something, you can read about it here and here.  The rest of you almost certainly grow weary of the topic, so I will wrap it up by sharing my final thoughts and blessings here.

 

I’ve had a week to process it now.  What stands out to me most about the experience is not pride in my daughter, which I have.  It’s not gratefulness for the family and friends that surrounded us, although I feel that.  

It’s the almost tangible sweetness of God to me that eclipses all else.

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It’s the almost tangible sweetness of God to me that eclipses all else.   He so tenderly handled my already raw emotions, starting with Shelby’s insistence that she and all her peers were wearing red dresses.  Her innocence and total lack of understanding made me giggle.

 

We got Shelby to the staging area to meet her precious teacher and teacher’s aide who would assist her and found our chairs.  Like most graduation ceremonies, it was boring and long.  Since my husband gave her an “S” last name (not complaining – it’s much easier to pronounce than what I would have given her – Koepf), we waited a while for her moment.  Just as my uncomfortable seat was beginning to affect my normally sunny countenance, we saw Shelby and her helper making their way around the auditorium toward the stage.  And she entertained us all the way around.  First, she saw my friend Terri seated on the front row and broke loose from her escort (almost into a run) determined to sit with her.

 

Terri apologized to me later, but I wouldn’t hear of it.  It is a precious memory to me that my girl wanted to be with my friend.  Once Terri convinced her to line up with her friends, Shelby began a fight with her aide over the hat.  You can see the struggle here:

 

 

and here:

 

 

 

and here:

 

 

When I could have cried, I laughed and laughed and laughed as Ms. A finally gave up and let Shelby walk the stage sans topper.

 

 

And as she walked the stage, the audience started to clap and cheer, just like they did for the 12,000 graduates before her.  Well, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration.  But it took Shelby longer to walk than anyone else.

 

 

And as she ambled across, not really knowing what was going on; the applause continued, and grew.  My girl, who won no awards or scholarships or even a college acceptance, received the longest ovation of the night.  The tears fell then.  They are falling now as I retell it.  But they weren’t sad tears.  They still aren’t.  The tears are full of gratitude – for the ways God can use someone with the IQ of a toddler to touch a life.  For the ways Shelby fills my heart with joy.  For the love of a good, good Father who knew exactly what was needed to make the night special for this mama.

 

“The Lord’s loving kindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail.  They are new ever morning; great is Your faithfulness.”  Lamentations 3:22-23  NASB

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About Me

I love Jesus, my husband and caffeine. The order of these can change depending on how tired I am. When my two daughters, stepson, and 4 grandchildren get to be too much, I practice yoga. God graciously allows me to share our adventures, victories and flub-ups from my laptop. May He be glorified here.
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