An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. (Proverbs 18:15 ESV)
It’s that time of year again when many of us are thinking about honoring the achievements of others as we attend various graduation ceremonies.
We will throw parties, invite numerous friends and relatives, sign cards, and put cash and checks in with those cards to congratulate those who have achieved goals which took years to complete.
Personal experience has taught me that major levels of home improvement (or “completion” as the case may be) will also take place prior to these events.
Yes, graduation is a big deal—and it should be.
It’s all part of lifting up, supporting, and encouraging each other. We are rejoicing with those who rejoice, just as we should.
But how many of us will rejoice that God made it all possible?
Sure, it was that dear graduate of ours that got out of bed, went to school, read the book, took notes during lectures, did the assignments, and got the passing grades. He or she deserves some credit for that.
But who made the sun rise each morning, gave us teachers and schools and books, the ability to read and write and understand, the intelligence to get those grades, the conviction and will to keep going?
There are those who would argue that the rising sun is simply the aftermath of a big cosmic bang, that teachers and schools and books and the ability to read and write and even intelligence come from man and not from God, and that whole “conviction and will” thing comes from a combination of diligent parents and laws that require it.
But humanity is far too complex and amazing to be explained by an explosion followed by enumerable random combinations and recombination of basic chemicals, no matter how many supposed millions or billions of years have elapsed since such an event.
No, there is too much purpose and reason and order in the universe for that. It all makes too much sense.
Recently, a space telescope aboard the Planck space observatory sent back images of a map of the magnetic field of the Milky Way galaxy that shows lines of swirls, loops, arcs, and whorls. Every news story I could find uses the same word to describe the photo: “fingerprint.”
Now, I’m not saying that the Planck images are the actual fingerprints of God. But I am saying that God left his fingerprints all over this universe.
I am saying that His fingerprints are present in the beauty of each new mercy promised in the sunrise. I am saying that intelligence and reason and learning are the fingerprints of the love He had for us that gave us the ability to understand and appreciate the glory of His creation.
It was and is a love that would eventually lead Jesus, God Himself, to die on a cross for us to create a relationship with Him that we could never create for ourselves.
Yes, the graduates around us are to be congratulated for their achievements. But remember this: When all is said and done, the balloons and the punch and the food and the gifts and even the money will not be the things that will touch their souls on that day.
It will be the fingerprints you leave on their hearts with your love.
Today’s Praise
Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers drown it. If a man tried to buy love with all his wealth, his offer would be utterly scorned. (Song of Solomon 8:7 NLT)