The End of an Era (Not Quite)

Hi everyone!

This past Thursday night was a really special for me. Want to know why? It was graduation night for the seniors at my school. I had been looking forward to graduation for a while, but when it finally came, I began to feel a twinge of sadness. You see, 8 of my friends were graduating and I came to the realization that we won't be able to hang out quite like we used to. I'm the only girl in my class with a bunch of boys so it was really sad to see them leaving me. They're like a big group of brothers and I realized that, as annoying as they can be at times, I was actually going to miss them. But, it turned out to be a really fun night because we all got together and hung out after the ceremony, and I didn't cry so that was good. ~smile~ And I'm technically a senior, yay!

The graduation speaker this year was our Bible teacher, Mr. Morse, and he spoke about whether or not we are promotable. When I first heard him say "promotable" I was like, "What does that mean?" His speech to the seniors was about how graduation was a sort of promotion out into the world, and how we should work to be promotable in God's eyes. He used Jesus' parable about the man who gave his three servants talents to watch over while he was gone, I've included the parable below:

Matthew 25: 14-30 "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.19"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' 21"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' 22"The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.' 23"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' 24"Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.' 26"His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 28" 'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

Mr. Morse talked about how we should strive for and work hard toward being "promotable" in God's eyes. I had never thought about life in that way; that we should be promotable for God. Mr. Morse also stressed how God is always there with us, even when we fall and mess up a lot. God loves us with an unconditional love, and he is happy when we take just one step in the right direction, regardless of whether we fall down right after. Much like parents are excited to see their child take his or her first few steps, God is cheering us on in the exact same way. God will never fire us, or leave us because we are taking to long or we just aren't getting it right. I don't know about you, but I'd like to be the servant who was given ten talents and earned ten more. He was deemed a faithful and responsible servant in the eyes of his master, just as we should be to God. Now that's a promotion that we all could use! As I am now entering my last year of High School, I hope that my life will be "promotable" in God's eyes, and that we will all reach the goal that He has set for us.

I am sorry to say, that I am leaving “The Kitchen Table” because the demands of writing essays for the 5 colleges I am applying to, filling out college applications, and my volunteer work this summer, I feel might all be too much. I want to thank my mother for this great opportunity she gave me and I love all the women who write for the table. Blessings to everyone and I will miss you!



Signing off for the last time as "Life of a HS Junior,"
Love, Tovah


Monday's Blog: Sasha "Healthy Lifestyles"