Graduates: Ask instead, “How can I serve?”

Yesterday I watched proudly as my oldest son William graduated from Towson University in Maryland. He worked really hard – through a lot of struggles and challenges, including having a newborn (Marley Elizabeth, 6 weeks old on his graduation day!). He has a sociology degree. Now I’ll be the first to admit, I once thought “what is he going to do with that?” But I heard all of the speakers during the commencement talk about public service. And it reminded me that we’re not here to “get ahead” or make lots of money, but to serve others. And I realized a degree can only help us do that better. Will reminded me of this as he thanked his sociology professor, whom he said had a profound effect on his education. It made him want to follow his footsteps and become a sociology professor. How cool is that? I graduated with a degree in “American Studies” from Notre Dame. We took a lot of teasing in that field…again, “what are you going to do with that?” I’m happy to say I hope I’m serving others by writing modern-day Bible stories with messages of courage, hope and faith people can relate to in today’s world. So here’s a quote for all you graduates: “You are educated. Your certification is in your degree. You may think of it as the ticket to the good life. Let me ask you to think of an alternative. Think of it as the ticket to change the world.” – Tom Brokaw. Go get ’em graduates!!