We are approaching a very memorable moment in the lives of the young people of our church. They come to the joy and celebration of graduation, and it immediately thrusts them into the next stage of their lives. As they cross this threshold, they step into a whole new level of accountability and responsibility. As a child, they were under the guidance of godly parents in a godly home. This has its own set of standards and boundaries, set in place for their physical and spiritual protection. They have come into a personal relationship with Christ, often as a young child. Both family and the church have had a strong influence on this decision. But now, they are stepping out on their own, into the college life, and they must take ownership of their own spirituality. They now become self-accountable for the first time in their life. They must be mature enough to make the right choices of life and lifestyle.
As a pastor, I try to find a way to encourage them in this transitional period. I like to take a Sunday morning service and honor our graduates. With this comes a gift, a small token of their accomplishments. In the past its been a book, CD, or a gift card to a Christian bookstore, but this year, I felt prompted to do something completely different.
Covenant Eyes has been chosen as the accountability tool for our church staff members. We are so grateful for this tool. As I was thinking about our graduates, I know they will be facing challenges as they enter college. One of these potentially dangerous challenges will be the necessity to function with the use of the Internet. The Internet is a marvelous tool of information and networking, but it can also be a deadly trap, if the heart of user is not protected! So with deep spiritual concern for the hearts of our graduates, we have decided to offer them a one-year subscription to Covenant Eyes as our church’s gift and blessing for them upon graduation. I will offer to be their accountability partner, or perhaps they may choose their parents to be the accountability partners. Either way, we wanted to give them a gift that would go beyond a token and become a protective and proactive source of spiritual encouragement. I hope they receive our gift willingly and understand the depth of love by which it was given.
This is a guest post by Pastor Kent Boyum of Christian Life Church in Farmington, Minnesota.