The Real World

It’s graduation season, and after a decade of these, I’ve noticed a number of the same words and phrases appear every ceremony, no matter the school.

+ dreams. Usually along with “achieve”
+ lifelong learner
+ Webster’s Dictionary
+ blood, sweat and tears
+ inside joke about how hard one teacher’s class or project was
+ commencement is actually the BEGINNING, whhoooaaa whhatt??

One in particular is standing out for me right now. “The real world.” As in, “you are going into the real world” or “it’s time to venture to the real world to make a difference,” etc. I understand the meaning, but it’s never sat well with me. Mainly because high school IS the real world.

Admittedly, it’s a strange, awkward, ever-changing, undoubtedly unique slice of the real world.

It’s still real.

The joys are real. The heartbreaks are real. The hopes and disappointments and wondering about what you’re going to do and if you really matter… that’s all real. And the potential for students to do HUGE things in Jesus’ name is real. I’m talking massive, amazing, incredible things beyond our ability, even to imagine them. God does not limit the impact that young people are allowed to have. In fact, many of the biggest biblical moments were led by the youngest.

It’s fine if school speeches or magazines or whatever else want to use “the real world.” Let’s not fall into that trap in the church though. Let us instead insist that our young people (like all of our people) were known by God before birth, and called to a life of discipleship. As one author puts it, let us hold this identity for them, and keep showing it to them, until they are one day able to hold it for themselves. That’s one of the many responsibilities, and privileges, of being the church.

Lake Avenue Church, 393 N. Lake Avenue, Pasadena, (626) 844-4700 or visit www.lakeave.org.