Advice for Grads

I check the mailbox more than usual this time of year. (My “usual” being “never,” in the vain hope that our friendly mail lady will take back the bills and three pounds of catalogs.) But I dare to open the little black box in June because--my husband being a youth pastor--this is the month we receive a flurry of graduation invitations (always a little bitter-sweet) and wedding invitations (pure sweetness).

In honor of all you June grads and brides we want to share one piece of advice Mom gave us when we graduated and then (later) got married.

Grads, you go first. Mom’s advice to her girls, and to you, is this: Keep studying.

We know, you probably don’t want to hear this right now--you've just finished studying for finals. So you might want to bookmark this post and read it after a week or two at the beach.

Bon voyage! Have a great time!

Ok, so now you’re back from the beach, refreshed and ready for Mom’s advice.

Keep studying.

Whether you are heading back to school, into the workforce, or you don’t have a clue where: set yourself on a life-course of study. And don’t just study anything.

Study theology.

If Bruce Milne is right (and he is) and “getting doctrine right is the key to getting everything else right” then you can't afford not to study doctrine. You must learn more about God.

Here’s a list of books to get you started, but don’t stop there.

Study biblical womanhood.

If Elisabeth Elliot is right (and she is) and "Being a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but being a Christian makes me a different kind of woman”--then we ought to understand what kind of women we are to be. So learn all you can about God’s design for womanhood.

Here’s some suggested reading for Biblical Womanhood 101.

Congratulations, Grads. And happy life-long studying. 

PS – for Friday Favorites we want to suggest some gifts for grads and brides. So send us your ideas and we’ll pick our favorites.