88-Year-Old Korean War Veteran and Great-Grandfather Graduates from College
John Lenehan, 88 years young, just walked across the stage at Fordham University in Manhattan. He wore his cap and gown with a quiet kind of triumph, the kind born from years of waiting and decades of dreaming. His journey to graduation began 68 years ago when he first enrolled.
John Left School in 1961
But life, like it does, detoured him. He left school in 1961, served our country as a Korean War veteran, worked hard, raised a family, became a grandfather, and even a great-grandfather. But that unfinished chapter? It never stopped calling.
And friend, isn’t that how God works?
He doesn’t look at our age or our status. He looks at our yes.
John’s Granddaughter Posted about Her Great-Grandfather Graduating from College
He’s the God who called Moses at eighty and gave Sarah a child when the world said she was done. He’s the God who redeems time, not just days on a calendar, but dreams tucked deep in our hearts.
John’s granddaughter, Clare, posted the moment he graduated on TikTok. You could feel the holy hush and the joy all wrapped in one as the world watched this veteran with silver hair and a hopeful heart receive his diploma. “I just wanted to finish what I started,” John said. But what he didn’t realize is that he wasn’t just finishing—he was inspiring.
His story? It’s for the woman who thinks she missed her chance.
It’s for the mama who put her dreams on the shelf while raising babies.
It’s for the widow who wonders if God still has more for her to do.
It’s for you. And me.
God Writes People In
God doesn’t write people off. He writes them in.
In every season, in every age, He’s still calling us forward because calling doesn’t come with an expiration date. And grace? It always makes room for a comeback.
There’s something holy about seeing someone cross the finish line decades after the starting gun fired. It tells the world: “Look what God can do when you keep saying yes.” John didn’t graduate with just a degree. He graduated with a testimony.
Your Moment Hasn’t Passed Either
So if you’re sitting in the quiet wondering if your moment has passed, lean in.
Let John’s story be a nudge from heaven that it’s never too late.
Never too late to learn something new.
Never too late to finish what you started.
Never too late to follow the call God put on your life.
Because when God authors your story, every chapter—no matter how delayed—is right on time.
Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
WATCH: 88-Year-Old Korean War Veteran and Great-Grandfather Graduates from College
@seekclarity.friends he was living his best life 🥹 #grandparents #university #college ♬ These Memories - Hollow Coves
This content originally appeared on GodTube.com; used with permission.
Photo Credit: ©TikTok/seekclarity.friends
Originally published April 29, 2025.
