Graduation
Read the story first: Graduation.
Nugget of Wisdom
There will be times in your life when happiness and sadness come at the same time. Deal with the sadness, focus on the happiness, walk out the other side wiser, but content.
As usual, start the session off with prayer within the group. Ask for God’s guidance during the process.
Congratulations, we’ve made it this far through the workbook. We are now going to start transitioning from childhood toward adulthood, roughly ages 17 to 25. Think about your stories as you have time. You know what we’re starting to look for now. We’re sharing our emotions and feelings with our future mate, our mate, the one in the relationship. We’re teaching and learning personalities, but above all, how to interpret each other’s feelings.
Up to now, my childhood stories have been mainly painful. They formulated my personality to a great degree. Later on, I will describe more clearly how that personality was built. For now, compare that to what you’ve learned about your own life at this point. Start looking for the subtleties in it and be able to share those with your partner.
For today, face each other, hold hands, and close your eyes. Try to perceive, in a sense, that their feelings are flowing through them, through your hands, into yours, and vice versa. We are learning to truly listen to each other. I’ve shared this before with my granddaughters. You can pour water on a duck’s back and it will run off. Pour the same water on a sponge, and it will absorb it. How you listen is up to you. It is not just a decision—it is a learned trait.
This story can come from anywhere. A graduation, a ceremony, making the honor roll, a race you ran, laps you swam, a class you completed—something where you felt pride. And possibly, a separate moment where you felt alone, where no one was there to share that accomplishment with you. Search your heart for that story and tell it. Talk among the group first, then spend quiet time alone with each other and share.
Mission for the Week
As you go through your daily routines, look for small opportunities to serve each other and those around you. Take a shopping cart back for someone. Open a door. Hold hands when you can. Pay attention to the small signals that matter to the other person. These things may seem minor, but when they come together, they build something meaningful. Even a strong relationship can grow stronger. As we seek the Lord daily, we grow closer. Also this week, think about someone in your life—a child, grandchild, friend—who may have accomplished something that went unrecognized. Reach out to them. Call them. Send a card. Do it together. Lift them up. Let them feel seen. In doing so, you will experience the joy of giving to someone else. Remember that feeling, and let it grow as you continue to give to each other.
Close in prayer within the group and within yourselves. In your own words, you may include something like this: Father, thank you for the feelings I have experienced and for the successes in my life. Thank you for comforting me in the times when I felt alone. Continue to guard my heart and my soul. Help me understand that my true happiness comes from You. Guide me, and guide those around me, so that we may care for each other more deeply each day.