Clarke High School graduation is this coming Sunday (May 18, 2025). So if you will allow me, I’d like to address this post to the graduating class of 2025.
2025 graduates: One of the greatest hazards to success is fear. While not all fear is bad, everyone knows what its like to be afraid. Fear immobilizes us and keeps us from doing things we could or should do. With that in mind, let me give you some brief steps to success.
First, face your fears.
Did you know that the term, “Fear not” is found in the Bible 365 times? Coincidence? I think not. God has give us a, “fear not” for every day of the year because with God in your corner there is no reason to fear. So you can run from your fears, or you can face your fears with God and find success. Author Max Lucado says, “Fear doesn’t want you to make the journey to the mountain. If he can rattle you enough, fear will persuade you to take your eyes off the peaks and settle for a dull existence in the flatlands.”
Graduates, living far away from home can be fearful at times. Going in for a job interview can be traumatic. Not having any friends who care about you can be devastating. But with God, you can live courageously and to trust Him to help you on this journey called, “Life”. Second,
Forget your failures.
We all have them. No one is perfect, meaning that everyone fails from time to time. But failure doesn’t have to be final. Some people will experience some level of failure and let it define them for the rest of their lives. There’s an individual in the Bible who experienced multiple failures, but refused to let them define him. His name was Paul. His story is too long for this article, but look at something he wrote:
Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14)
Paul refuses to allow failures to dictate his life and keep him from achieving his goal. Again, there will be failures. The only ones who never do anything wrong are the ones who never do anything. But never allow failure to make us quit trying. In the words of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, “Never give up! Never give up! Never, never, never give up!” Here’s my third word of advice:
Follow your faith.
On day six of the ill-fated mission of Apollo 13, the astronauts needed to make a critical course correction. If they failed, they might never return to Earth. To conserve power, they shut down the onboard computer that steered the craft. Yet the astronauts needed to conduct a thirty-nine-second burn of the main engines. How to steer? Astronaut Jim Lovell determined that if they could keep a fixed point in space in view through their tiny window, they could steer the craft manually. That focal point turned out to be their destination–Earth. As shown in 1995’s hit movie, Apollo 13, for thirty-nine agonizing seconds, Lovell focused on keeping the earth in view. By not losing sight of that reference point, the three astronauts avoided disaster.
The Bible tells us how to succeed when it says, “Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith”. (Hebrews 12:2)
You can be flexible on many things in life, and you should be. But when it comes to the succeeding in life, keeping your eyes on Jesus and following your faith will never fail you.
Face your fears. Forget your failures. Follow your faith. That’s not absolutely everything you’ll need, but these three provide a solid foundation to build upon as you move forward in life. Congratulations class of 2025! And God bless you as you pursue your dreams!