Hope for College Graduates Stepping Into the Unknown

Being a college graduate at any time always comes with its fair share of excitement and challenges, but 2024 graduates no doubt face new unknowns and obstacles, the likes of which most living generations have never experienced. My heart is heavy for these young men and women graduating from years of study into a difficult marketplace and what seems like very few opportunities for new graduates. But I want to remind them that there is hope on the horizon. 

One of the most widely known verses in the Bible is Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” It’s easy to let this go in one ear and out the other because of its commonness. But if you take the time to meditate on this verse, you’ll resonate with the truth that the Lord has a plan for your life. This applies to every single one of us, including 2024 graduates.

This plan God has for you is a good one, even if it doesn’t look that way right now or if there is one at all. But we see in the Bible that the Lord always has a plan, even when we feel like we’re walking through the valley of the shadow of death. When Jesus was crucified on the cross and laid away in the tomb, His disciples had a hard time seeing how God’s goodness could prevail amid that darkness. Yet, Jesus came back from the dead, and the result of his suffering was far better than what preceded it. 

Likewise, we may not know what His plan is today, a year from now, or even in this lifetime. But I can assure you He has one for all of us, and His plan is far better than anything we could ever imagine. 

As the current graduating class is well aware, life is not always easy. Jesus informed us in the Bible long ago to expect difficulty in our lives (John 16:33). One thing we can hold on to is knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope, as explained in Romans 5:3. Additionally, Hebrews 6:19 tells us that hope is an anchor for the soul. This is something we can rest and rejoice in. Not only can we hope for what is to come, but our soul can be anchored in the hope that God has His hand on all of this, and we will only grow stronger because of it.

We're living in a time when being a college graduate seems to present more challenges than opportunities. But we can take heart through these struggles, and continue to fight the good fight. When you're looking for something to help you overcome the sadness, the disappointment, the uncertainty, remember that you serve a God that has overcome death and the world. No present or future obstacle can come between God’s good plan for you and your future. 

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