"Reach up to God," "Reach into our Hearts," "Reach out to others." 

We are not a building, but a body of believers endeavoring to listen and respond to the call God has placed on our lives. It is in this reach where we find the will of God revealed. 

       May is graduation month for many of our youth, a time of celebration but it can also be tinged with a bit of anxiety or worry. For many it means freedom, freedom from the shackles of the classroom while for others it is time of transition from one classroom to another. Whether it is freedom to do what we want or the challenge of continued education, whether we choose a trade or enter the military, whether we really know what we want or are still searching the truth of the matter is, the future is in our hands. While many different factors may influence our choices, we still have a fair amount of control over what we do but more importantly who we are. We may not find that perfect job, that optimal educational experience or that ideal situation for our lives, but we can be the best version of ourselves regardless of our circumstances. We can choose to demonstrate love, compassion, and forgiveness. We can choose to exhibit caring concern for others, to develop relationships that have the foundation of trust and respect and to be a people of hope and of peace. We can choose to look for the good in all people, to nurture that good and to share that good with others. We have the ability to make a positive difference in our communities, in our country and in our world just by being who we are, a people created by a loving God and put upon this earth to share this love, this care and this time and place. 

Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established, Proverbs 16:3.

Come to think about it, this is not just for our recent graduates, this is for all of us no matter what stage of life we are in. We all have the ability commit our work to the Lord, to be a people of love, of hope, of joy and of peace, to be those positive difference makers. May we all be these people.