As we look forward to honoring our dads and grads this Sunday, we can attest to the fact that transitions in life are both exciting and terrifying. There is joy at fulfilling a goal or a dream, which may be tempered by the stark realization that that achievement ushers in a new era of different challenges and opportunities.  It can be overwhelming if we think it is all up to us to discern and define the changes in our responsibilities to ourselves and others.  In those moments, fear and doubt can enter in and take over, but only if we let them.

However, if we remember to turn to God at these times for love and support, just as we have throughout our lives, which got us to this point in the first place, we can face our fears and doubts honestly and allow our joy to supplant them.  We can also find examples of others who have faced similar transitions in their lives and found their strength and comfort in their faith in God as well.

Over the next several weeks we will be hearing from 1st and 2nd Samuel about King David.  This week we hear how the prophet Samuel was led by God to find David as a young boy and anoint him as God’s chosen ruler.  Imagine how David felt in his transition from shepherd to king!  We will hear that when David followed God’s will, things went well for him.  When he chose his own path, he suffered the consequences.  We also benefit from David’s own honest reflections about the good and bad times in the Psalms.  Such wisdom of God’s love and mercy is necessary to lay the groundwork we need for our everyday lives, which will bear fruit in those times of transition.

I offer my congratulations to all our graduates and my thanks to our fathers.  To that I offer my prayers, that, in David’s best tradition, you always follow God’s will, overcome any fear or doubt with confidence of God’s eternal love and celebrate with joy your accomplishments.

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