One Giant Leap
Written by Administrator Saturday, 19 August 2006 19:00
Did you see in the news this week that NASA has misplaced the original recording of one of its most significant moments in history … the lunar landing in 1969? The data and video transmissions are nowhere to be found. People have been searching for a year. Among the missing are the memorable words of Neil Armstrong, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” But at least those of us who were living at that time will never forget that historic “step.”
With that in mind, I don’t want to miss out in acknowledging the significant “step” being taken by many in the next few days. A number of our young people will take that “one small step” (which is really “one giant leap”) by leaving home to attend college.
I think back to my own experience back in … (well, that doesn’t matter, but it was BEFORE man set foot on the moon). I was excited … I was nervous … I was scared. How would I do academically? What kind of roommates would I have? Would my parents remember me when I came home at Christmas?
I remember moving into the dorm … walking around the campus … realizing how big it was and how small I was. I remember saying goodbye to mom and dad. Those first few weeks were filled with adjustments. Four guys in a room. (I was an only child.) Assignments … papers … quizzes … tests constantly coming at me. (Very different from high school!) These were stretching times … homesick times … good times.
Let me encourage you who are heading to college to think about several things as you make your “giant leap.” First, be thankful for your parents. They’ve worked hard to get you to this point and have made and will continue to make sacrifices so that you can continue to grow and become all God intends you to be. Second, be diligent and work hard in your studies. Some people view their college years as party years. In reality, this is a time to build solid disciplines and to hone your skills so that you will be successful in your life’s vocation. Third, choose your friends carefully and wisely. The people around you can make or break you. Remember the words of Paul, “Bad company ruins good morals” (1 Corinthians 15:33). Fourth, continue to nurture your faith. If you’re going away to school, find a good church and attend regularly. Every day set aside time to spend with God and His Word, even if you are in a Christian school where you take a class in Bible and where they have a regular chapel service. (In a secular school you can become a cynic, but in a Christian school you can become lukewarm. Both are deadly!)
We love you, we are proud of you, and we will miss you. But we are also praying for you.
-- Sparky