Tomorrow is a HUGE day in the life of my family and for me personally as a father. My wife and I (along with other family members) will watch our youngest daughter, Sophia, walk across a stage and graduate from Lourdes High School. The last few weeks and months have been a confluence of many firsts and lasts, at the same time, it’s been a roller-coaster of emotion watching all of this happen before my eyes.

Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

As parents, it seems like much of our time, effort, and energy is spent focusing on the “train up” part of this verse and little emphasis on “the way he (she) should go” part. For my wife Susie and I, we’ve always seen both parts as equally important. Every time we’ve let one of our children “Go” we’re preparing them for the way they will live out the rest of their lives fulfilling God’s purpose for them. In fact, from very early on, one of the main roles of any parent is to let “Go”.

• When they “Go” in the nursery at church
• When they “Go” get on the school bus
• When they “Go” over to a friends house for a play date or sleepover
• When they “Go” on a mission trip
• When they “Go” out for a sport
• When they “Go” to get their driver’s license
• When they “Go” on a date
• When they “Go” get a job 
• When they “Go” to graduate

Each one of these are steps that are to be anticipated, planned on, trained for and then released to. It doesn’t make it easy, but it does make it EASIER, knowing when they “Go” you’ve prepared them for it ahead of time and can be confident they know how to “Go” because of your guidance and parenting.

So tomorrow, as our precious Sophia will “Go” to graduate, it’s kind of a graduation for Susie and me as well. At least, that’s how we’ll see it until the next big “Go” in August when Sophie will join her two older sisters and “Go” to Liberty University to continue to pursue the purpose God created her for.

Sophie, I couldn’t be more proud of you! I love you!!! GO get ’em!!!