2.  Your weekends could be pretty awesome (if they culminate in this one thing). Now that you are legally free from your parents’ authority, I suspect you look forward to handling your weekends however you please. No curfew. No limits. That’s all good and well, but may I suggest that perhaps the most critical decision you make on the first weekend after graduation is whether you get up and go to church on your own. This decision is likely the surest and most tangible indication of where your life is ultimately headed.

3.  Good friends are important (by which I mean not only people, but books). If I want to know what type of man or woman you’ll become, I can take a look at two things and make a pretty good guess: the kind of people you hang out with and the type of books you read. So, whether you are entering college or the workforce, I encourage you to build a network of solid Christian friends and a shelf full of solid Christian books.

4.  A Christian worldview is essential (but so are Christian habits). You probably are well aware that the Christian faith equips you with a worldview that helps you distinguish between true and false, good and bad. That’s especially important in our secular age, as you interact daily with people whose “takes” and “spins” on life are unchristian and even anti-Christian. Yet, it is equally important to understand that we are shaped not just by thoughts but by habits as well—spiritual habits, study habits, exercise habits, social habits, and more. In fact, your habits shape you just as much as your worldview, so I encourage you to form habits that align with your faith and help you flourish.

5.  A high GPA is nice (but wisdom and maturity are even nicer). Some of you are high-caliber students, driven to achieve a 4.0 GPA and graduate with honors. That’s commendable. But I encourage you not to be so fixated on academic recognition that you forget about your personal formation. So, take a page out of King Solomon’s playbook and ask God to give you the type of wisdom that makes you mature beyond your years.

6.  A lucrative career is optional (but a vocational calling is not). You’ve been advised to find a career path that will pay the bills and maybe even make you wealthy. There’s nothing wrong with accumulating wealth, and there’s everything right about carving out a viable career path. But Scripture teaches that a job is a divine calling, so I encourage you to seek God’s guidance as you discern your giftings and shape them into a career path with an overarching kingdom purpose.