Resilient
by definition, "resilient" means able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions, able to recoil or spring back into shape after bending, stretching or being compressed.
In my work with families of young children, we often talk about how resilient children are. They can withstand so much hardship and, if given the right kinds of attention and love and affection, they can recover and grow well.
Tonight I wish to claim this word and ask that the Lord apply it especially to the senior high school class of 2020. Isaac is a senior. He doesn't really even know what he doesn't get to experience, but many of us do. Finishing your high school year as a group, as a unified body that shares their own culture of conversation, hopes, dreams, memories.....it just matters in a unique way. If they arrange class reunions (and I so hope they do) they will always remember that they did not get to finish together. They did not get to leave school together on their last day. They did not get to plan parties and so many more things that just make my heart hurt tonight.
Class of 2020....you are resilient. You can withstand the disappointment of popular culture of what high school graduation usually looks like. You can recover quickly and find a new way to celebrate all that you have accomplished. You can recognize that this difficult condition does not define you. With resilience you can recoil and spring back into shape and know who you are, remember where you have been and look forward with hope to your very bright future.
Class of 2020, you were conceived and born into the tragedy of 911. The world changed the year you all began your lives and now, with Covid 19 the world is changing again. Lots of us joked about your birth year. In my community, in my church, all the kiddos born that year were more than. You were naughty, wild, reckless and hard to manage and we said, "I don't know what was in the water that year but these kids all came out crazier than most!" Well, I think what was in the water was Resilience.
This feeling and this loss and this grief......it matters. We feel it with you. We are so so sorry. But. This feeling and loss and grief does not define you. Or us. It is a part of history that we will experience and we will endure it. We will do it with you and we will support you and we will expect you to become better versions of yourselves on the other end of it. You will be stronger and wiser and more rooted in the things that matter than in the ideals of popular culture.....because you are resilient.
In my work with families of young children, we often talk about how resilient children are. They can withstand so much hardship and, if given the right kinds of attention and love and affection, they can recover and grow well.
Tonight I wish to claim this word and ask that the Lord apply it especially to the senior high school class of 2020. Isaac is a senior. He doesn't really even know what he doesn't get to experience, but many of us do. Finishing your high school year as a group, as a unified body that shares their own culture of conversation, hopes, dreams, memories.....it just matters in a unique way. If they arrange class reunions (and I so hope they do) they will always remember that they did not get to finish together. They did not get to leave school together on their last day. They did not get to plan parties and so many more things that just make my heart hurt tonight.
Class of 2020....you are resilient. You can withstand the disappointment of popular culture of what high school graduation usually looks like. You can recover quickly and find a new way to celebrate all that you have accomplished. You can recognize that this difficult condition does not define you. With resilience you can recoil and spring back into shape and know who you are, remember where you have been and look forward with hope to your very bright future.
Class of 2020, you were conceived and born into the tragedy of 911. The world changed the year you all began your lives and now, with Covid 19 the world is changing again. Lots of us joked about your birth year. In my community, in my church, all the kiddos born that year were more than. You were naughty, wild, reckless and hard to manage and we said, "I don't know what was in the water that year but these kids all came out crazier than most!" Well, I think what was in the water was Resilience.
This feeling and this loss and this grief......it matters. We feel it with you. We are so so sorry. But. This feeling and loss and grief does not define you. Or us. It is a part of history that we will experience and we will endure it. We will do it with you and we will support you and we will expect you to become better versions of yourselves on the other end of it. You will be stronger and wiser and more rooted in the things that matter than in the ideals of popular culture.....because you are resilient.
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