Dear Ladies of the Class of 2019,
Recently, I looked out our second story bathroom window onto the blooming tree in our neighbor’s yard. I noticed a massive number of bees swarming around [its] blooms. There were so many of them I’m sure had I opened the window I would have heard the buzzing.
I don’t necessarily like bees. They scare me a little and often cause my children to panic. But a thought occurred to me — those bees — they have great purpose. Without their work in the process of pollination, our world would be flowerless and dull.
Then I noticed a dead fly on the bathroom windowsill. Kind of gross, right? I hate flies. But, the truth is, they have a purpose too. Sure, I had to Google what that purpose was. . . but I found out that flies help break down decaying matter. And, this was kind of interesting (gross, but interesting), by studying fly larvae crime scene investigators (think CSI) can figure out the time of death when they find a dead body outdoors.
So, what’s with all this nature talk? What does this have to do with you graduating from high school or college? Here’s the connection:
You have great purpose.
Can I say that again, just to make sure you got it?
You have great purpose.
Flies live three days and yet, in that short amount of time, serve a great purpose. Bees annoy the daylights out of us but serve a great purpose. You, my friend, have a great purpose too. In fact, it’s a much, much greater purpose than that of any insect or animal.
What would happen in nature if all the flies got jealous that they weren’t dressed as colorfully as the bees and stopped doing their jobs to scheme ways they could get a better body? Or, what if all the bees stopped buzzing from flower to flower to, instead, stare at themselves in the reflection of our kitchen windows and ponder why they aren’t as pretty as butterflies.
Ridiculous to consider, right?
But I wonder if that’s what God sees when he looks down and observes us moaning over our physical appearance. I hear him saying something like, “Oh, my daughter, I have such great plans for your life. I have a great purpose for you — one that far surpasses you becoming pretty enough for people to stare at with lust or envy.”
It’s graduation season here. Everywhere I go I see “Congratulations Grad” balloons and cards espousing that these kids have great things ahead of them. We encourage our daughters to dream big dreams and shoot for the stars. But, at the same time, do you know what one of the top graduation gifts was for girls in the region where I live?
