Hey Josh

Below is a letter I wrote to a friend at the beginning of the year. He's a young graduate who hosted a retreat of sorts to help other young graduates transition from college to the real world. It's not easy for everyone. It wasn't for me. Here is what I wrote:

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Hey Josh,

Thanks for including me in this. I went through some Messiah withdrawal myself and know some guys really struggle after graduation so I think it's a cool idea. I read a book recently called A Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. It really impacted me and I think it has some direct application to what you guys are trying to do with young alums. Frankl was a Jewish psychologist who survived
Auschwitz then wrote about his experience from a very unique perspective. The book doesn't have much to say about God, but it does have great insight into humanity -- insight that becomes even more powerful when you filter it through a Christian lens and recognize that those things are a part of God's design. His main premise is that man is ultimately searching for meaning (versus power or happiness as some psychologists would argue) and that he can find meaning through:
                                                                           
1. Purposeful work
2. Meaningful relationships (love)
3. Courage in the face of suffering

Messiah provided guys with both purposeful work and meaningful relationships (and you could make a case for suffering as well) and those things gave meaning to guys' four years on the team. For a lot of guys, however, graduation leaves them without purposeful work and without the same meaningful relationships (those relationships still exist, but the context is different). So, for whatever it's worth, my advice to young Messiah grads is: seek out purposeful work and meaningful relationships. (Suffering is not something to pursue and should be avoided if possible, Frankl says, but one can find meaning in suffering if forced into it.) Purposeful work might be found in a job. It might not. It might require a career change. It might not. It might mean finding purpose in the job you already have. It might mean throwing yourself into work that doesn't pay the bills. Whatever it is, don't be afraid of work. We were created for it. As for seeking out meaningful relationships, my best advice is to find a good church and get involved (versus just showing up on Sunday mornings). Can you be a Christian and not go to church? Sure, but that's not the way it's supposed to be and you deprive yourself if you try to go at it alone. A life filled with purposeful work and meaningful relationships is a good life.

Do with that what you like, but those are my thoughts on the topic.

Hope the weekend goes well!

Viss