‘Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable’ – Kenyan proverb
Or, ‘Where there is unity, God commands a blessing’ – Psalm 133:3
The real reason we were in the USA earlier this month, was to attend our son’s graduation from his first year of study abroad. After seven years in the military it’s been a bit like a gap year for him, enhanced by the fact that his girlfriend (now fiancée) was completing her second year.
Approximately 1,400 students graduated over three days and, although I only attended two of those, there were reams and reams of names to be read out and cheers to be raised, including for the online students who joined via Zoom where their time zone allowed (kudos to the students in Hong Kong who prised their eyelids open in spite of it being the middle of the night there).
After a couple of weeks, we had been introduced to a fair few of the happy couple’s friends, and mingled with a crowd at the not-so-surprise-birthday/engagement party where there was a great combination of laughter, line dancing and excellent home made chilli. We’d also been allowed to sit in on a few classes which gave us the opportunity to see the lay of the land and meet yet more people.
By the time we gathered at the local Civic Centre for the formal graduation, we recognised a good number of individuals who now shone brightly in beautiful dresses, smart chinos or traditional outfits as they deemed appropriate.
We sat among new friends and raised our voices in cheers, whoops and yells as the name of anyone we knew was read out. With students coming from across the globe, we considered ourselves substitute family for those whose own loved ones couldn’t travel to join them. I hope our volume was some compensation for them.
My favourite part – except for the swelling mother’s heart when my son’s name was called and we all went nuts – was hearing the names of the places each student had come from called out. As you might expect, there was a substantial crowd from the USA, and specific states were identified. I forget how huge the place is. One guy told me it had taken him 30 hours to drive from Texas to California, and most of that was through Texas itself. Yikes!
The majority of internationals this year were from Australia, but other nations represented included Germany, Switzerland, Russia, Ukraine (yep; next to each other), Costa Rica, Iran, Finland, Denmark, Ghana, DRC, South Africa (Yay!), Scotland, India, Canada, Japan, Brazil… and so many more.
It always thrills me to hear this type of list. The apocalyptic book of Revelation tells us that, ‘every nation, tribe and tongue’ will be represented around God’s heavenly throne when all of history is tied up and done. Since I was a child I figured that if we’re going to be sharing heaven then we would do well to learn to get along here while we have the opportunity to practise. The naivety and innocence were strong! Nevertheless, it’s still a prospect that is dear to my heart and a couple of weeks ago I think we had a small taste of that.
Whether we are sticks in that proverbial bundle, or a scattered part of God’s family, having one heart in which He is central gives us blessing, identity and purpose. In these days of global uncertainty, it’s reassuring to be reminded that nations are made up of individuals. If we can be on the same page and forge heart-to-heart friendships with some of them, then hope remains alive and well for the here and now as well as the hereafter.
[Images from Pixabay except for ‘Raising a Glass’ by Quan Nguyen on Unsplash]
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