Weekly Devotional: Dear Graduate…

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Read time 3 minutes

Carly Jennings

Published on Apr 26, 2024

As you are approaching graduation and are looking forward to what your next steps might be, you are probably feeling all kinds of emotions. Emotions that range from feeling excited and hopeful to feeling overwhelmed, nervous or confused.

As the days begin to lead you closer to your graduation, and you are wrapping up your final course projects, spending time with friends and making memories together, remember that with the bittersweet end of this chapter welcomes the start of a new one. In this devotional, we will look back on your time in college and find a sense of appreciation for what this chapter has brought you.

In This Devotional:

I’m Not Sure What Comes Next
Knowledgeable and Prepared
It Is All in God’s Plan

I’m Not Sure What Comes Next

Many graduates are familiar with the never-ending question, What are your plans after graduation? and the desire to have the right answer or any answer at all. There can be so much pressure around this answer and you might find yourself completely unsure at the moment.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. – Colossians 3:23, NIV

If you aren’t sure what comes next for you after graduation, know that you are not alone. Everyone has their own timeline. While you might feel tempted to compare yourself to your peers who are off to start their first jobs or are continuing on with their education, you were not meant to have every detail figured out now.

For now, your answer can be, I’m not sure what comes next, and that’s okay.

Knowledgeable and Prepared

Have confidence in all the hard work and learning you have done throughout your college career. You are well-prepared, knowledgeable and an asset to the industry you hope to enter.

From classes to clubs and social activities and work, you have developed skills, knowledge and experiences to take with you and apply to achieving your future goals. There is a lot you don’t know and will still have to learn, but there is also a lot you do know. Your hard work and dedication is worth celebrating!

You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. – Psalms 128:2, NIV

Think back on all the opportunities for learning and development that you’ve had. Consider the ways you have grown in the last several years and remember that as you enter post-grad life.

It Is All in God’s Plan

Everything — from your time in college to the unknowns of your future as an official alumnus — has a place in God’s plan for your life. Try to embrace a sense of peace and calm in the next few months, knowing that there is a lot that is out of your hands that God has the power to control. God has helped prepare you for what is in your future and gives you each new day as an opportunity to lead the kind of life you want to live.

God will work out every event, obstacle and opportunity into his plan for your life. Even what you cannot control is a part of his plan for your future. Work hard and trust that by making the right decisions and putting in effort to grow, God will work all other things out for good.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." – Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. – Romans 8:28, NIV

Grand Canyon University has dedicated alumni resources to help you navigate your post-graduation experience. If you are looking for a place to begin your college career or continue on to pursue a graduate degree, GCU offers a variety of degree options with a Christian worldview. Fill out the form on this page to learn more.

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Carly Jennings

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Weekly Devotionals|Faith and Living|Spiritual Formation|Career Corner

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Approved by the director of the Department of Spiritual Life on March 20, 2024.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. Any sources cited were accurate as of the publish date.