Last week I had the great pleasure of meeting with an HonorsCollegeclass at AuburnUniversity on the topic of What I Wish Someone Told Me When I Graduated from College.
The students were, as you would expect, bright, engaged and vocal.
I had a list of items from my personal experience to discuss with these talented young people, and one of them was:
A problem with being successful at an early age is that the smarter and more successful you are, the longer it will take you to come to the end of your abilities, and to recognize that you need help from God, and from others. But that day will come. The questions are only whom and how much will you hurt before you surrender?
In my case, until my mid-thirties I trusted in my ultimate ability to accomplish almost anything and to overcome any obstacle.
I believe that God uses people and events to get our attention, and through both Christian friends and unexpected near-disasters I finally realized that without Him, my perspective was generally selfish, and my To Do List was not relevant to the people who were and still are the most important in my life.
And so, with His help, I surrendured and changed.
Two topics on which I would like to hear from you:
- Have you come to the end of your own abilities? How?
- What specific advice would you include on the What I Wish Someone Told Me When I Graduated from College List?
This is so true! I can look back at several life changing experiences in recent years where I finally surrendered my “wisdom and abilities” to God and WOW,what a difference! He showed up in ways that far exceeded my expectations and desires. I needed this reminder.
When I graduated from college I wish someone had told me to be more intentional about seeking out godly friends and why it would be beneficial to me in the short and long term.