Valedictorian Speech

Thank you Dr. Gaunt.

Wow! I can’t believe this day has finally come. I am so honored to be standing before you this evening.

For the past couple of weeks, I have been pondering and praying, asking the Lord what He desires me to leave with you on this special and momentous occasion. So tonight, I’d like to open myself up to you and share the things that God has been impressing upon my heart in the last few months.

Having gone on a missons trip to Russia and having read the book called Tuesdays with Morrie for my AP Literature class (by the way, a book that I believe every person should read), my perspective and whole outlook on life has been gently shifted. Lately, I have been thinking more and more about what it means to have a purposeful, meaningful and truly fruitful life. At the beginning of this year, Coach Fore, my fellow chaplains and I decided on the theme “IMPACT” for this school year. But, I didn’t want this to be solely a theme for chapels and retreats. As Christians, our purpose here on earth is to love God, praise Him and bring Him glory and to IMPACT the world for His name’s sake. But of late, my question has been, HOW?

My personal goal is to have a lasting impact on those whom I encounter daily. I desire to make a difference in the lives of others. Sometimes we think about how we can “change the world,” when really where we need to start is making a difference in the lives of the individuals right around us.

As I reflect, aside from God, it is my teachers, pastors, friends and most of all my family that have influenced my life by their conscious effort to invest in me as a person. They are the ones who have helped shape the person that I am today. Likewise, I want to emulate Christ and these godly examples by doing the same for each person that God brings into my life.

Let’s face it, education, learning, and academics are all necessary, important, and life-enriching. It’s obvious that I believe this with all of my heart or else, I wouldn’t have placed so much time and effort—so much of myself into school and learning if I did not find them important. However, when all is said and done, one may not remember what grade he or she received on a freshman biology final or on a senior English Literature test, and all awards may end up collecting dust at some point in time. Pursuing excellence in everything is essential and extremely important, but paramount to plaques, awards, scholarships and careers are relationships. PEOPLE are the only eternal things in this life.

Now, I come back to my original question of “HOW?” How do we make this impact? How do we influence the lives of others for eternity? It is through LOVE. It says in Matthew 22 that the greatest commandment is to “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your mind and to love your neighbor as yourself.” Yet, we not only have to show Christ’s love, we also have to beChrist’s love. 1 Timothy 4:12 says “…Set an example for all believers in speech, in life, in love in faith and in purity.”

(look to the graduates)
So Class of 2007, my fellow graduates, as you follow your heart and pursue your dreams, don’t get caught up in the busyness of life and focus solely on the tasks before you, instead remember to build quality relationships. Invest time and effort into people—even if they are different from you. Love others as Christ has loved you—even those who seem unlovable. Live to love and serve God AND most importantly remember that the Lord of all Creation loves you and died to call us His friends so that we may all spend eternity together. As it says in Matthew 5:44, Remember, to “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, be good to those who hate you, and pray for those who persecute you…” We will face times when loving is hard— it’s inevitable. When it seems humanly impossible to love, Christ gives us His love, so that we may impart it to others. So let us make the conscious decision to reach out and make an impact.

Finally, as we each go off our own separate ways, let us cherish the relationships we have built up until now, and let us continually ask ourselves, HOW can we have an impact on those around us? HOW can we make a difference in the lives of each person we meet? And HOW can we leave a lasting imprint on the people that God brings into our lives in the coming years?

Thank you…