I know it’s not Mother’s Day week, but this has been on my heart recently, so why wait?

Young mothers are amazing. Whether they give birth to an innocent child or become a mother through the glory of adoption, the connection with that precious little one is remarkable. God has truly given ladies the innate gift of love, protection, and the ability to care for an infant.

From that moment on, though, her life is not really her own. While still doing all the work (and it is work) of being a wife, she now adds the responsibilities of being a mom. Those do not slow down for a long, long time. Just ask moms whose children are graduating high school in the coming weeks if things have gotten any easier!

Young mothers, your work ethic is tremendous. As Christian young mothers, you feel the spiritual weight of teaching God’s Word to your child in addition to all the other “normal” steps you take to help that child grow and develop.

Some of you must hold down a job on top of all these things. For you I say a special prayer, because I have no idea how you do it all. Others of you homeschool your child or children. Again, you have a special place in my heart, because you are, in effect, holding down a full-time job, as well. A few others are single moms, and have to be both “mom and dad” in many areas of life. You also need special prayers, because you are shouldering more of a burden than the rest of us can imagine.

Young moms go throughout the week taking twice as long to do anything as it used to. Trips to the grocery store are nightmarish, as others wonder who that crying child is. Getting a haircut used to be pleasant. Going to the doctor or dentist wasn’t that big of a deal, but now it takes days of prayer and preparation. And eating at a restaurant? You and your husband used to sit for an hour after the meal and just talk and stare into each other’s eyes. Now? As soon as the final bite is done, you hurry out of the place, hoping no one will throw things at you, since your child’s chicken fingers ended up, somehow, on their plate.

And then you bring that special child to worship, and you wonder if it is worth it. That baby cries and every head turns to see who it is (as if they don’t know). They get in trouble, squirm, pull at your clothes, squirm, play with toys…did I mention squirm? And they do it from the opening announcements until the final “amen.” And you are there throughout the entire process, hearing a few verses from the sermon, trying to say “amen” to a prayer you only hear half of, and trying to get your child to put down AquaBatSuperUltraHulkMan so he can read “Joseph’s Coat of Many Colors for Beginners.” Good luck.

And you are tired. All the time. Your husband tries to help, but he just cannot do things the way they should be done. Be thankful for what he is able to do, but your days just don’t end. When he comes home at  5 or 6, he plays with the kids for a couple of hours and then pronounced himself exhausted. Somehow, you still have energy to do one more load of laundry or to get ready for the next day of work or school. Honestly, we do not know how you do it.

My encouragement to you is simple. KEEP IT UP. You may, even in tears, sometimes wonder if your work is making any difference. You have to discipline that one child for the same thing over and over and over and……. You hear that your child isn’t quite up to “standards” academically, or that they are disrupting a class, despite all your efforts to help them grow and learn. You can’t figure out why your glorious meals end up with more food on the floor than in the tummy.

But it is worth it. You are laying a foundation that is not only good for this life, it has eternal significance. Though you are tired, your effort, truly, “is not in vain” because it is “in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

I firmly believe that God has a special place in His heart for young mothers who strive to teach their children God’s Word. The church should have that same heart, because you are truly worthy of our admiration. Thank you for all you do.

Each year, I preach a sermon to our graduates on the night we honor them. I usually do it a little differently, though, in that I don’t make a “commencement speech disguised as a sermon” like many do. Instead, I find a text and preach a sermon that brings out relevant points for our graduates.

However, there are some messages I would like to share in general. Some of these are things I have learned since graduation that I wish I had known (or just followed), or things that I did follow and am so thankful that I did.

After all the cap and gown pictures are taken, here is what I wish every new graduate knew.

1. You must define your priorities and spend some time every day on your top three. If you must, write them down. Whatever you have as your #1 priority should get some of your time each day. For me, that is my relationship with God. If I ever go a day without developing that relationship, I have failed to live up to the top priority in my life. Once you define your top three, figure out how you will make time for each every single day.

2. You must develop a work ethic that is strong. That does not mean you are to become a workaholic. What it means is that you need to be one who can be counted on to get the job done in balance with the rest of your life. In our society, we are surrounded by laziness and apathy. Don’t let that pull you down. Strive for great.

3. You must avoid sin. I don’t care that it’s cool to smoke pot in college. I don’t care that everyone gets a little tipsy on Friday night to help calm their nerves. I don’t care that your roommate has a girlfriend who stops by all the time and you don’t. Sin is sin, and we are called to be holy people no matter where we might be. Avoid sin at all costs.

4. You must stay connected with Christ’s Church. Far too many college students go away and spend their first year church-hopping, including quite a few “hops” to the Box Springs congregation (get it?). Ask for help before you go in finding a congregation that is (1) Bible-based, (2) hard-working, and (3) allows college students to help in programs of work. Nearly every university has one nearby. By the way, if you are going to school in Nashville, Lebanon Road does this!!!! (Shameless, I know.) You will be thankful that you found that home congregation away from your home congregation.

5. You must learn to handle money. Too many college students waste money and graduate with nothing while they are looking for a job. Learn to budget. Learn to give. Learn to save a little for the future. Learn to spend, but to spend wisely. The earlier you start practicing how to handle money, the earlier you will have it down to a lifestyle.

6. You must learn to manage time. I am a stickler for time management now, but only because I came to the realization one day of how much time I was really wasting. Be realistic with what you can accomplish in a day, and budget your time accordingly. Look at long-term projects and make sure they are part of the flow of your day.

7. Learn to say “no.” Not just to sinful things, but to too much work and other things. College is wonderfully full of opportunities to do good things, fun things, and exciting things. You know what you can handle, but you also know you are in college to (1) shine the light of Christ there, and (2) to get an education. Anything else is extra and needs to be evaluated as such. “No” is an appropriate answer at times.

8. You must be open with your faith. If you can be open with your faith in college, you can be open with your faith anywhere. Do not back down from a belligerent professor. Be respectful, but faithful. Speak the truth in love.

9. Smile. I am amazed at how many Christians have forgotten the joy of living for Christ! Just a smile on a college campus or out in the workforce is so rare. You are alive and God is on His throne! Smile about it!!!

10. You must learn that you are not alone. When you struggle, it’s okay. Find help and get back up. When you are sorrowful, it’s okay. Seek someone to pray with you and take it to God. When temptation is everywhere, others are fighting those temptations, too. God is always with you, for sure, and many brothers and sisters in Christ have you on their minds and hearts in their prayers, too. You are not alone.

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What would you add to our graduates?

Saturday evening, my family pulled into the hotel we were to stay at that night. The congregation for which I was holding a meeting had to book us in two different hotels at no fault of their own. We were just thankful for a comfortable place to stay. We only stayed in this hotel one night, then moved to one much closer to the church building.

However, when we pulled in, Leah and I just looked at one another. Our kids are learning to read, but I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy that they couldn’t read longer words. The reason was the huge sign in the sky, and the same words on the large sign over the door: “Adult Superstore.” I knew that, if they could read those words, they would wonder what type of place that was. How do you explain that???

We parked outside our room, actually in a parking lot that is partially shared by these two places. It was quite awkward to walk to the lobby for breakfast, to say the least! I was thankful for the room, but quite glad it was not our “permanent” place for the week.

But that experience got me to thinking: why do so many consider establishments like that so shameful, but then will log on to the internet and view the very same material? What is it about looking at this stuff on a private screen that makes it palatable, but walking into a store is considered slimy at best, and downright sinful at worst?

I ask that question because we all know that pornography (or the more tame term “adult material”) is all over the internet, and the anonymity of the web has made it far more than a problem. In fact, it has made it downright common……

…..but just because something is common does not make it right.

Far too often, this hits much closer than next door. It hits home, and those homes are harmed. If you are struggling with this temptation, or have given in, please find help. Contact me if nothing else. I don’t want any home harmed by this, but far too many “next doors” are being destroyed by it.