My dear friends,
I wanted to share my graduation speech with you. Looking back on the speech, I realized how important it was to me. It applied then, and it certainly does apply for the most part to my life now. Please, allow me to share something special. Here it is exaclty how it was written.
Good evening! My name is Christina Damron and I have been given a great privilege of speaking with you. On behalf of all the graduates, I would like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Bennett, teachers, families, friends, and special guests who have done much to make this evening possible. Many of you have inspired us, and we are grateful you are here to celebrate this unforgettable occasion with us. Thank you all!
To the graduates of 2008, Congratulations! We have achieved a great deal. Not only have we made it through high school, but we have laid the building blocks of who we are to become. Now, we stand on the threshold of a new horizon in our life story. A chapter is closing, but another is beginning that we enter not as chil dren, but as adults. I believe the years to come will be incredible ones.
For a moment, let us reflect on our theme verse I Timothy 4:12. “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.” As the next generation, we hold in our hands great power. It does not matter that we are young. If we are humble and willing, God will use us despite our age, difficulties, and our past. To quote my sister, Kate, “Let us do with excellence what we do best and not be afraid to let our voice be heard in following God’s call. It is worth being heard and it is needed. We CAN make a difference.”
I Timothy 4:12 reminds us how to set an example for others. First, how we speak and conduct ourselves reflects who we are and what is inside our hearts. Matthew 12:34 says “…for the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” Likewise, Ephesians 4:29 instructs us, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
Furthermore, if we want to make an impact, we must act with maturity. In Wings of Silver, an unknown author expresses maturity as “… to be able to stick to a job until it is finished; to be able to bear an injustice without wanting to get even; to be able to carry money without spending it, and to do one’s duty without being supervised.”
Next, we can set an example through love, faith, and purity. Let us show love by staying faithful, and show faithfulness by remaining pure. Ephesians 3:16-18 encourages us to look to Christ as our source.
“I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your heart through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long, and how high and deep, is the love of Christ.”
Class of 2008, let us remember and live our theme verse, I Timothy 4:12. With this final thought, let us be blessed with a quote from an unknown author “May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you…May you be content knowing that you are a child of God…Let His presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise, and love. It is there for each and every one of us.”
