Once upon a time, Mary Schmich a Columnist for the Chicago Tribune, wrote a column now known as the "Wear Sunscreen Speech". Given by an author, Kurt Vonnegut, as a commencement speech for MIT, the words have been shared with many college students as guidance and advice for their future. The words to the original speech can be found here: Wear Suncreen.
The following is my own parody on those words:
Trust God.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, trusting God would be it.
The long-term benefits of trusting God reach far beyond anything I can write about here. This is the one piece of advice I can give, that has stood the test of time, more reliable than my own meandering experience.
I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the gift and power of your youth.
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You may not understand now the gift and power of your youth. But trust me, God has made you so unique and amazing, that in 20 years you'll think back to what you experienced and accomplished at your age right now, and be in awe of who He created you to be.
You are not as un-loved as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but remember that faith ends where worry begins, and worry ends where faith starts.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day to help someone else.
Pray.
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts.
Love people anyways who may be reckless with yours.
Read your Bible. Seriously.
Don't waste your time on jealously.
Sometimes you will feel ahead, sometimes you will feel behind.
The race is long, but God has already won the race for us.
Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults.
To succeed in doing this, know that God made you & He doesn't make junk.
Keep your old journals, or favorite cards of encouragement.
Through away your old research papers.
Worship.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life.
The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year olds still don't. Instead, ask God, He already has a plan.
Spend time listening to other people.
Be kind to those around you. You'll miss them when they're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll dance the Cupid Shuffle on your 75th wedding anniversary. May whatever your family ends up being, love God wholeheartedly and love each other.
Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your steps are planned by God. So are everybody else's. Praise Him above all.
Enjoy your body. Don't be afraid of it or what other people think of it. Take care of it. God has made you in His image, and He loves when you use your body to honor Him.
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.
Read the Bible, even if you end up not following the directions.
Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.
Do not creep too much on Facebook. You will only feel too self-centered & unproductive.
Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Forget High school fights with them, and thank them everyday for loving you anyways. Even loving you all the way through finishing college. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future. Plus its fun to tell "remember when..." stories. Don't miss out on that.
Tell remember when stories.
Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in location and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young. They will always help keep in perspective that if you can make it through bad freshman decisions, you can make it through just about anything. They will laugh with you and at you, but never will you feel so loved.
Live somewhere new at least once, but don't forget to call your Mom. Travel.
Accept certain truths. People aren't perfect. Prices will rise. You too will get old. And when you do, you'll remember that when you were young, people seemed nicer, pricers were reasonable, and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect to not work hard to support yourself. Maybe you have a job or call. Maybe you'll have an inheritance. But maybe you'll go through a tough storm or some hard years. The value in hard work and planning is priceless.
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Don't mess to much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85. Don't drink too much either or by the time you're 40 you will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you trust, and be patient with those who supply it. Seek counsel from those with experience and love in their hearts. The heart of a teacher is irreplaceable. The heart of learner is even more valuable. Sometimes people make mistakes, sometimes you will make mistakes, I can't tell you what those will be or how to fix them.
But believe me - TRUST GOD.
Congratulations to all my friends who have graduated this semester & to those moving onto internships as well. Love you all!
