Don’t Peak in High School
I attended my youngest child’s college graduation this past weekend, which reminded me of one of the best pieces of parental advice I have ever heard: “Don’t peak in high school.” The same, of course, can be said for any of life’s milestones.
Why do I believe this is such good advice? It forces one to look back and forwards. In looking back, you come to realize that your past does not define you. Whether or not you were the captain of the cheerleading team, the school jock, in the “cool,” popular clique, or the class valedictorian, none of that determines your success in life. Your past achievements and failures are just history, and as you enter a new phase of life, you have a “clean slate” with the ability to make yourself whatever you want to be. It’s not what you have done or not done in the past that matters, what matters is the kind of person you are moving forward and the impact you will make on the world going forward. In looking forward, life is a journey full of hope and dreams, and you can make it whatever you want to make it.
So what does this have to do with our Christian life? It’s much the same. Thankfully, we, too, are not defined by our past—our past mistakes, the immature or stupid things we have done, the hurt we have caused to ourselves or others. (I cringe as I recall some of the hurtful things I have said or done in the past.) All of that has been wiped clean by Jesus’ death on the cross. He paid our debt in full. We have been provided with a “clean slate.” (Eph. 1:3-8). What’s even better, He did all that while we were still sinners and without any merit on our part. (Rom. 5:8). And even better than that, what He did on the cross gives us a clean slate yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Not only do we have a clean slate, but we are “a new creation; the old is gone, the new has Come!” (2 Cor. 5:17). As a Christian, looking forward, what is in store for us? Among other things, we are predestined to be conformed to the image of Jesus. (Rom. 8:29). This is not a one-time act as we are being renewed day by day by the Holy Spirit. (2 Cor. 4:16). But, better yet, we have an unparalleled hope (and not just hope, but assurance) of eternal life. (Jn. 3:16). Thanks be to God that as Christians we can never peak in high school.
Carter