I don’t have a clue if there was a graduation ceremony for my class before we transitioned into 1st grade. I know this, though, it wasn’t up until a couple of years ago that I recall ever hearing of such a thing. Now, that could be because I either have a poor memory (I do at times!) or have simply been so out of touch that it doesn’t ring a bell (Too, a distinct possibility!). Nevertheless, in the last couple of years, because my children have been through the experience, I’ve witnessed kindergarten graduations.
The first thought might be to roll your eyes. After all, it is what I did Wednesday as I stood next to other parents who, too, were witnessing what might have been the most momentous occasion a six year-old could have. Right?
I had a lot to do. It was a Wednesday morning, after all. But such thoughts are the lingering baggage of… a horrible attitude. Sorry if all of you who were agreeing with me are now ticked off.
Kindergarten may not be a big deal to some of us, but on Wednesday it became apparent to me that it was to a bunch of six year-old boys and girls. Moreover, it was a big deal to several teachers, especially, my son’s teacher, Mrs. Aucutt. And I know it was a big deal for the music teacher, Tracy Tankersly, who coordinated a performance that I will never forget. My son’s kindergarten graduation was incredible!
It is amazing how seemingly silly moments can become monumental. Nor would I would never want to take away the joy in my son’s eyes as ran to me, grabbed my hand, and took me on the floor to dance the chicken dance with other parents and their kids. He would have been crushed had I said, “This is stupid. I’m not hanging around for this.” Reese wouldn’t get that moment back, and no matter how hard I might have tried, I would never be able to make up that moment. Sure, life would go on, and 12 years from now he will more than likely graduate high school, but I would hate to continue to live harboring guilt and shame because I had treated something like a kindergarten graduation as trivial. After all, it was anything but trivial.
One of my favorite stories in Scripture is when Jesus’ disciples tried to whisk away parents and little children that rushed to see Jesus. Jesus essentially told them to back off and let the little children come to him because such were the kingdom of God (Luke 18:15-17; Matthew 19:13-15). They were bringing infants to let them have the Messiah’s touch, and to let Him pray over them, and that was something important. The disciples thought otherwise. Jesus seemingly said, “You just don’t get it!” Too often, I am more like the disciples than I am the Messiah.
Every moment with our children can be a special gift of God’s grace. The more we embrace them, the more we become like Jesus. And that, my friends, is what discipleship is all about (Luke 6:40).
