I recently attended my son’s Master’s degree defense. It was the culmination of years of study and work.
Needless to say, I was proud of him.
Receiving a Master’s degree is an accomplishment!
But it wasn’t this educational achievement of which I was most proud.
Aside from the three professors who would be judging his work, the room filled with friends who came to support him.
As I visited and got to know his friends, each of them expressed the same thing:
“We love Jacob!”
One after another expressed to me, their appreciation, and love for him, and how much they’d miss him.
Some of these individuals were from his engineering program. Others were from his church group. Others were next door neighbors. Some were English majors, football players, doctorate students. They were from different backgrounds and studying different subjects.
They didn’t all know each other, but they all had one thing in common-their love and appreciation of my son.
I saw in these friends the physical representation of what it means to love your neighbor.
I saw the influence that one good man has on countless others, how the love and care he extended to others was recognized and returned in like manner.
The world may praise and honor his achievement of an advanced educational degree while perhaps not acknowledging his goodness of heart and character.
And yet, I recognized, as did others, what really deserves praise and honor.
It’s not the educational achievements, or recognition of man that impact others the most.
Rather, it is the strength of character, goodness of heart, and loving one’s neighbor that has the greatest influence on others.
Much love,
