In the retail world, June is monetized by presenting the headlines that will drive people to buy their way into relational safety. The two big bullet-points for the sixth month of the year travel in-sync every year: Dads and Grads. Are you up for both to hit in 2026?

      We’ll get to the dads in a couple of weeks, but – for now – end-of-school and end-of-schooling are in full swing. Parents are out in force to help their next-gen students move home or move on; the tickets for commencement are the invitation to see the ceremony that accompanies completion. Those are not cheap seats – mom and dad have paid dearly over decades! – but they allow a line-of-sight connection to the guest speaker who will put the finishing touch on the degrees.

      Though I’ve never been asked to be the presenter at a formal graduation, I’ve got my outline ready, in the event that a last-minute replacement is needed for a no-show – or, no-go – celebrity voice. What would I have to say?

      I’d want to be sure that the escapees from academic lock-down to be ready to both know-up and grow-up. Their classroom work and final exams settled the know-up question, but the grow-up challenge may still need some work. I would suggest that they consider four binary choices, and earn a 100% grade with their right answers.

      First Choice: Answers or Questions? One of the downsides of a high GPA is the false assumption that the diploma signifies the acquisition of answers. There’s a temptation that accompanies completion, with the belief that the degree recognizes a full grasp of the answers. The best position to assume – from graduation to expiration – is to be characterized by consistently having the right questions. Curiosity is the characterization of a lifelong learner, and the person with an inquiring mind will become wise.

      Second Choice: Victim or Victor? In a world populated with billboards flashing 800 numbers for personal injury attorneys, the notion that victimhood is a better bet than lottery tickets has reached epidemic status. Class actions are most-often classless, and reparations are the mega-millions lottery ticket that pay off, big-time. The truth is more empowering: to be born and educated in America, with full rights as citizens is a prize that should be cherished, not disparaged. Add the discovery of eternal faith through the Gospel of Jesus the Christ, and any American Christian is already on top.

      Third Choice: Whiner or Winner? Most people don’t have to check a box to exhibit their conclusion on this one: as soon as they open their mouth, the tells tumble out. Podcasts or newscasts; the clear or clandestine agenda too-often seems to be the arming of the antagonists against the way things are. Someone, somewhere, is making you a loser, and the best way to get on board with the opposition is to turn-up the whine factor and make your lament heard. Whiners are loud; winners are less disruptive. One thing’s for sure: the whiners have a bigger crowd, but none of them are glad to be there. The tone is more tempered in the winner’s circle, but the sound is soothing and likely to satisfy the soul.

      Fourth Choice: Grievances or Gratitude? It’s the fourth and last point, but it’s by no means the least important. It’s in order of succession: a person who leads with questions, taking notes on what they hear, who recognizes that they have no part in a victims’ settlement as a path to prosperity, who associates with winners rather than lamenting with whiners will arrive at the place wherein their mindset and demeanor will position them for a great future. They will be ready to recognize that Someone has blessed them – as Peter put it so succinctly – with “…everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3). In the bright light of that truth, there is no reason for grievance; only gratitude, as a continuing mindset that is not linked to daily ebbs-and-flows. Or, as Paul puts it: “If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31).

      Perhaps you could be the commencement orator for any of the Class of 2026 who look to you as part of their lifetime upline. If you embrace those four positions, it might be your gift to them to throw some helpful light on their path forward, into adulthood. I’m giving you permission to use my outline!

 — Bob Shank