Plans and the Planner: A Message for Graduates

No spoiler-alert here: graduation season is upon us.

The melody of Edward Elgar’s ubiquitous Pomp and Circumstance is wafting on the breeze, from Kindergarten “graduations” to fifth-grade promotion assemblies, to high school and college commencement ceremonies.  It’s the time of year when we send pithy, ‘inspiring’ messages to all those burgeoning young adults: The World is Your Oyster.  Fly, be free.  Spread Your Wings.  Go Forth, and Conquer.  Make the World a Better Place Than You Found It. 

I understand that this is an exciting chapter; a launching, if you will, to the remainder of Life.  The apostle Paul, in his famous chapter on love (1 Corinthians 13:11) even spoke of the end of an era, the time when we transition to adulthood:  ¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. Things do change at certain milestones of our journey.  It is only right.

It’s no wonder that, as Christians, one of our favorite inspirational verses for our graduates is Jeremiah 29:11.  As an amateur graphic artist, I’ve designed graduation announcements which feature this text.  Honestly, I once even painted it on walls, because the message to me is so profound.  I especially love the way it reads in the New Living Translation:

Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

I mean, why WOULDN’T we slap this on every wall, every coffee mug, every t-shirt we own?  Who in the world, in their right mind, would ever want to gloss over or ignore such a luminous, powerful promise?

I’ve been working my way through reading the entire Bible this year.  I’m honestly ashamed to say that I’ve never done this—at least not intentionally.  I’ve started a number of times, but usually petered out around the book of Numbers, or somewhere in the endless genealogies, where Jezehezebezekiah begat son-of-Jezehezebezekiah, to the 60^th generation.

At any rate, I’m in the middle of reading Jeremiah right now.  Jeremiah, The Weeping Prophet.  Some of the books I’ve read in scripture, I’ve plowed through with astonishing voracity.  I loved 1 and 2 Samuel.  Acts reads like a novel to me.  I’ve made my way through about ¾ of the bible in less than 6 months.  I’m on fire!

But Jeremiah has been different.  Don’t get me wrong; it’s so powerful!  But it’s also so heavy.  I’m not flying through Jeremiah like I have all the other books.

Jeremiah’s whole life was intended to be one of rebuking stubborn, hard-hearted, stiff-necked, rebellious people on God’s behalf.  He always had to be the bad guy.  He even had the responsibility of putting the false prophets, who made his life more difficult by prophesying good things to God’s people, in their place.  It would have been one thing if all the “prophets” were working together, but this wasn’t the case.  He had to deal with those who were appealing to the itching ears, the ones who wanted to hear only the good, and refused to accept any personal responsibility for their impending judgment.

And what judgment it was!  Seventy years as captives in a foreign, pagan land.

Today, I finally got to Jeremiah 29, though at first, I wasn’t even thinking about my favorite pet scripture in verse 11.  Want a message of importance to pass on to a young adult?  Let me explain what really got to me once I arrived there.  Here’s the context of the passage:  Jeremiah is writing a prophetic word to those who have just been carried off into captivity in Babylon!  He isn’t writing to those who are still in the throes of accomplishment, still basking in the glory of ceremonies, and awards, and glowing sunrises of potential.

He’s writing to those who have finally reaped the judgment of generations of sin, of a dubious shared history of rebellion and idolatry.  He’s writing to those with a whole lot of proverbial egg on their collective faces.  They’re banished from their homeland, and some will never see it again.  They are those who the Almighty has just sentenced to a seventy-year ‘time out’.

Here comes a letter to them by Mr. Bearer-of-Bad-Tidings himself, Jeremiah.  They probably cringed, waiting for the I-told-you-so that they all so richly deserved.

They were in for a surprise.

Jeremiah 29:2-7 NLT

⁴ This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: ⁵ “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. ⁶ Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! ⁷ And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”

What is he telling them?  Take your licks like good children.  Quit pouting.  Make a life for yourself in the middle of your current state of correction.  No sackcloth and ashes now—the time for that has passed.  Move on.  Get your attitudes right.  Grow up, keep a right spirit, and make a contribution to your world.

Here is the passage that really, really got to me.  What is the verse that immediately precedes my pet verse?

Jeremiah 29:10-11 NLT

¹⁰ This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

You WILL have to endure your consequences.  But your consequences are NOT your end.  Because, after that, He’s got good things for you.  And you get to go HOME.

The verses after the 11^th verse are pretty spectacular, too:

Jeremiah 29:12-14 NLT¹² In those days when you pray, I will listen. ¹³ If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

My Lord!  What a promise.  I don’t think I could cram the whole thing on a graduation announcement, unless I don’t include pictures of the student, but you just never know.  After all, there IS a 2-point font for a reason, I’m sure.

I guess my future message to graduates, in context of this scripture, would be this:  You are going to have plenty of opportunities, plenty of chances to spread your wings—but not all of them will probably turn out just right.  You might even really, really misstep at times, and even fall flat on your face. 

Inspiring sentiment, don’t you think?  Maybe I could work for Hallmark after I retire.

But truly, it’s probably for the best that you prepare yourselves for this possibility right now, so that you don’t end up requiring a “safe space” and a straight jacket the first time things don’t measure up to the glowing vision of the future you’ve likely been sold.

The important thing to remember is that, when you find yourself facing down the consequences of your decisions, instead of resenting them, or fighting against them, assuming that you don’t deserve to face any difficulties,  embrace them.  Take the lemons, and make the lemonade.  In fact, while you’re there, make every lemon dish you can think of!  Personally, I like lemon bars, but that’s beside the point.

He has GOOD PLANS for YOU.  You just have to TRUST the PLAN, and the PLANNER.  When correction comes—and it will—understand that the correction is NOT the end.  Instead of resisting it, and playing the part of the persecuted, oppressed victim, settle your heart and determine in your spirit to GROW.  Take Jeremiah’s wise counsel, and plant yourself in His Plan.  Root yourself into the place in the Kingdom that He has put you.  Grow into His purpose.  Multiply.  Live.  Work for the peace and the prosperity of the church and the community where He has decided you need to be.  None of the captives could liberate themselves.  THAT was the job of the LORD, and it was in His timing, not theirs.

When God says your captivity is over, then it’s over.  You can’t change that—but when He ends the consequences, there are only good things waiting for those who search for Him wholeheartedly.  In fact, He promised to be found.  By us.

Now, graduate—go forth and conquer your own expectations.  And don’t be distressed when things don’t go according to your plan.  Remember, He has good plans for us.  They won’t look like a fairy tale, and if we’re smart we won’t believe a word of that ridiculous “follow-your-heart” nonsense. (That’s usually what gets us in trouble in the first place.) Instead, trust the Planner.  He is the only inspiration we will ever need.