First, I would like to thank all the parents, teachers, faculty, and fellow students who have supported our graduating class in any way this year. Senior year wasn’t exactly a walk in the park, but I think we can all agree—the love and support surrounding our class was evident and deeply felt by each of us. So, thank you.
Graduates. Today is a huge day. Today marks the end of our high school career. All the tests. All the Latin classes. The Uniforms. It’s all over. The day we’ve allbeen jokingly wishing to arrive quicker is finally here.
It’s so strange to be standing at this podium, only four years after walking into the Habersham School for the very first time. The first day I walked into Habersham, I was a quiet, uncertain freshman who didn’t know how to work a computer or participate in a debate or use her critical thinking skills in the event of a problem. I’m sure all the graduates can relate to this on some level. But here we are, four
years later, and still none of us know how to work a computer. That was a classical school joke.
What we DO know how to do now is find the purpose in our everyday acts. Let me explain. From day one, Habersham has taught us to put meaning into every single thing that we do. All of our efforts. All of our accomplishments. We do them for a reason.
We are each given our own unique gifts and desires for a purpose and what we choose to do with these gifts and desires can change our lives for the better or for the worse. And this is something we are going to have to struggle with and keep in the forefront of our minds throughout the next few years. Finding the purpose.
Yes, college is a new experience full of unknowns and inevitable mistakes and setbacks. But as you begin this new, exciting journey please, please, don’t just continue checking off the necessary boxes and moving on with life. You have to step into discomfort and discover a yearning within yourself for whatever it may be. Then, find the reason behind that yearning.
Find the purpose.
God places aspirations into your heart not for you to ignore them or to push themaway, but to pursue them with your whole heart and use them to glorify Him in every way. Every single one of you has a gift, whether you are familiar with it yet or not. But you need to allow your gifts to become passions that will carry you to a fulfilling life in Christ. However, you can’t just sit around and wait for passion to sweep you up and fix every problem you’ll ever face. Unfortunately, that’s not how life works. You have to go out and try and fail over and over and over again. But eventually, you will find your passions through Him, and if you think you’ve already found them, go out and find them deeper. Because as hard as it may be to accept, our plans for our futures are nowhere near as beautiful, meaningful, or fulfilling as the plans God has for us. The only thing we can do is trust in Him and follow where he leads.
I’ve already found so much joy and meaning by choosing to follow Christ, even when my plans seemed better than His. When I chose to attend a small classical Christian school that I hadn’t even heard of until my brother started attending there a year earlier, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. Like any new kid, I was so full of doubt that this school would be the right fit for me socially and academically. I
was worried that I would never truly find a place where I could flourish and really begin to grow into my own individual person.
Thankfully, I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Not only did I immediately find inspiration and reason to challenge myself in every possible way here. I also found a family.
It didn’t take me very long to realize how unusual my situation was at school. For the first time in my life I was surrounded by friends who meant more to me than just classmates. And slowly but surely, these people started to teach me about myself. I will carry the lessons I have learned in this group for the rest of my life because like I said, these people are family. Now don’t get me wrong. The term family can’t be taken lightly. Families fight. Families fail. Families break and repair. Sometimes families might even argue about whether bigfoot really does exist, whether the wind blows sunrays away, or whether the moon landing was actually fake or not. But family is family. In my short time at the Habersham School I have watched this group of 10 or so people smile, laugh, cry, struggle, and unconditionally love and support each other through it all. I have never experienced anything in my life like being in a class
this special.
Graduates. As we enter this uncertain season, let’s remember that we are all on a path to a prosperous life. Jeremiah 29: 11 says: “ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” In other words, you are not alone. You are not without a future. And you are not without a purpose. Keep your focus. Learn from the hard times. Rejoice in the good ones. We are each being led on our own unique, individual paths to greatness. All we have to do is follow.
Thank you.
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