With less than 24 hours to graduation I find myself grasping for the familiar, and bracing myself for the whirlwind of change to come. The realization has hit hard that I am stepping out of my plush comfort zone of school, stuffed with 17 years of sitting in classes, and into the unknown “real world” without a safety net beneath me. What if I fall? What if I cannot grasp onto this so-called “adult life?” I have so carefully avoided the dreaded question of, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” But now it’s staring me in the face.
Bear with me as I get a bit sentimental, and I apologize ahead of time for my train (wreck) of thought.
As I entered this past week, my first instinct was to fill up my schedule with as many breakfasts, lunches, dinners, coffee dates, movie nights, ice cream runs, walks downtown, visits to my favorite coffee shop, and random adventures with my friends that I possibly could. I was searching for the constant amongst all of this change; grasping to what I knew, silently hoping that it wouldn’t actually change.
Don’t get me wrong, I am beyond excited to be graduating, to move on to the next stage of life that God has planned for me, but so many memories swirl within my mind as I walk around campus. How can I possibly say goodbye to this life, these dear friends, this great experience?
I’m terrible with goodbyes and dread that moment when they must be said. God has blessed me with some wonderful friends over the last four years; friends who have pushed me towards God, encouraged me to do my best, and helped shape me into who I am today. I have learned outside the classroom just as much as I learned inside the classroom. Though I am terrible with goodbyes, I know it’s time to leave, I know it’s time to take the skills I have been equipped with and the lessons I have learned here, and apply them out in the “real world.”
Amidst this spectrum of emotions I am reminded that growth and change is good. God uses places and people in our lives to grow us into the person He wants us to be, and when they have done that, we move on. I was also reminded that my one constant amidst an ever-changing lifetime is Christ alone. And that is where my hope lies, that is the foundation upon which I can always fall to my knees.
So Cedarville, thanks for the last four years, they were truly a gem! Thank you to the professors, staff, and friends here who have all poured into my life! I am beyond blessed to call myself an alumni of this school and I will constantly be praying that this institution would continue to push students closer to Christ!
