WHAT DOES THE WORLD OWE ME?

It is graduation season in America. Over the last few weeks, I have experienced a lot of graduations. My oldest child graduated with her master’s degree and my youngest graduated from high school. All occurred within a few short weeks.​

Part of each graduation ceremony is the obligatory commencement speech. I can’t quite recall how many commencement speeches I have heard. Each speech was unique. Some tried to be encouraging. Others tried to be funny. But all tried to convey some nugget of truth about the world. 

Graduations have this unique place in our lives. They are moments in time when we are sent out into a world entirely different from what we have known. As we are sent out into the unknown, I believe there is one question that we ask. We might not ask it consciously, but we do ask it. And the answer to that question informs how we see the world. 

What does the world owe me?  

And if you go on the internet or your favorite social media platform, you could probably get a fair amount of prognostication on that question. 

The question is a trap. It’s based on scarcity and entitlement. I deserve this and I deserve that. But most of all, the world isn’t listening. When more and more people focus on this question, it simply pushes us apart. 

But there is another way of being in the world that doesn’t push us apart. It is a question that simply doesn’t get asked enough. That question opens the door for endless opportunity.  

What do I owe the world?  

When lots of us ask this question, our individual contributions add up, community is built and solidified, and a better world is possible. 

Waiting for the world to get things just right is exhausting and frustrating. But living out our baptismal promises while following Jesus can be rewarding and energizing.  

Peace, 
Travis Segar 
Pastor for Care and Community