My graduation speech

I was honored when the seniors chose me as their speaker at last weekend's graduation. Here's my speech - it was fun to write, but I'm relieved it's over and I didn't trip on the stairs or burst into tears during it! Writing it made me reflect a lot on my time at Logos and my hopes for what students will take with them as they go... as well as what *I* hope to take with me as I return to the US.

Most of the senior girls with another teacher and me

When I came to Logos back in 2009, you were in 7th grade and I was a brand-new English teacher. 15 of you were already at Logos that year. I had no idea how to teach 7th grade English, but you guys were very patient through all my mistakes, and we had a fun year together. I got to be your homeroom teacher that year, and again when you were in 10th grade, and again in 11th grade. I’ve taught your English class every year but grade 10, and some of you I’ve had in 7 different English and French courses. So out of all the classes I’ve ever taught at Logos, I know you guys the best. And it’s such a privilege to be here today for your graduation.

I’m proud of all that you’ve achieved. Your class has grown up so much in the time we’ve known each other. In 7^th grade you were lively and energetic and you didn’t always listen, and today… well, maybe some things haven’t changed. But you’ve definitely learned a lot in between. In 7^th grade, I had you choose a country and research it, and you kind of had a hard time with it. In your country projects,

●        One person wrote, quote: “Malaysia’s national language are Brunei and Indonesia.”

●        Someone else said, “[Japanese people] do not live in urban places.”

●        A third student wrote, “Sudan’s top 2 religion are Muslim and Islam.”

And yes, all three writers are in this room today, graduating from Logos. So clearly, you’ve come a long way. But not only in your research skills. You’ve learned about community, how to embrace others as they are, how to work together and encourage each other. You have learned about suffering, how to endure it, and how to support others as they endure it. You’ve learned about leadership, how to be thermostats who set the temperature instead of thermometers who just reflect the climate, how to lead humbly and be willing to laugh at yourselves. And as you’ve learned these valuable lessons, I’ve learned from you.

In World Lit this year, we studied the Hero’s Journey. We saw that from Frodo Baggins to Percy Jackson, from Monkey to Mulan, many of literature’s most beloved characters depart on a great adventure, a mission to attain something very valuable. Joseph Campbell says these heroes go through a similar process throughout their quest. And the reason that throughout history, these stories of adventure have resonated with humankind, is because each of us is also on a journey seeking something we treasure.

Isaiah 26:8 describes the path and the goal of every believer’s journey:

Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,

    we wait for you;
your name and renown
    are the desire of our hearts.

You’re crossing the threshold today for a great adventure. The limits are unknown, the terrain is unfamiliar, but you’re not going it alone – you have a supernatural helper, the Holy Spirit, ready to journey with you and to guide you step by step.

I want to challenge you to take out your invisible backpacks and fill them with three things you’ll need for the journey. Those three things are grit, grace, and glory.

1. Grit

To explain grit, I need to ask you. Have you ever read an adventure novel that went kind of like this? “Once upon a time, a young heroine left on a great quest to save the nation. It was easy. She finished by dinnertime and then watched TV till she fell asleep. The end.” Yeah, me neither.

What makes adventures so great is the very fact that there are huge obstacles, that the heroes have to struggle and grow and change before they’re able to accomplish their goal. And the bigger the trials, the more satisfying it is when you get to the happy ending.

Grit means you don’t look for the smooth road, but the road that takes you somewhere worth going. And when you find that road, you’re not put off by the potholes and boulders. You just keep climbing, crawling, and clambering forward any way you can, because you’re determined to reach your goal. G.K. Chesterton said, “An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.” I hope you have the grit to see the adventure hiding in each difficulty.

2. Grace

As well as grit, you’ll need a lot of grace. None of us are as strong as we’d like to seem. We’re not as wise, or as good, as we want to believe. I can fool others for a while, and maybe I can even convince myself that I’ll get there soon. But eventually I keep being confronted with the truth that I cannot handle my journey. I am not enough.

Grace is when God gives us things that we didn’t earn and can’t repay. His approval, for instance. We cannot hide our flaws from God. But because Jesus followed God’s path completely, Jesus was perfect. And by extension, anyone who’s trusted in Jesus is also made perfect in God’s eyes. It’s that simple. When God looks at our progress, He sees Jesus who’s already finished the quest.

Because of God’s grace for us, we can give ourselves grace. Grace for when we’re struggling just to lift our feet for one more step, and grace for when we look around and think we’re beating everyone. Grace to return to God’s path when we realize our brilliant shortcut has once again landed us in the menacing forest marked “Danger: Do Not Enter.” In all those times, we can enjoy the unconditional love of the God who sees us as we are, the God whose patience never runs out, the God who strengthens our feeble legs to make it up the mountain.

And we can give grace to others too, because when we receive God’s grace, we realize that this journey was never meant to be about comparing. There will always be a temptation to measure ourselves by the mile markers along the road, but like we discussed in devotions last fall, you know you’re not a number. There’s no such thing as bragging rights because everyone’s on their own journey and nobody would have made it this far without a whole lot of help.

3. Glory

Finally, you’re going to need glory on your journey. Not so much your own glory, as eyes to see the glory of God in the world around you.

One thing we all appreciate about a good adventure is the author’s creativity. The hero travels through fantastic lands, encounters memorable characters, and wrestles with profound words of wisdom. Whoever heard of a hero being bored? Sometimes life is going to feel mundane or dry or slow. But adventurers often discover that there’s more to life than meets the eye.

No matter where you are or how tedious it seems, there are always cool things just begging to be found. Don’t waste your life waiting for the good parts to arrive – discover them where you are! Mary Oliver has these instructions for living a life: “Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.”

A great example of this is Seung Hyun and Chan at the service camp last year. We made telephones using plastic cups and yarn, and we thought they’d be fun for the little village kids. But they’d never seen them, and they were so amazed, they were running around yelling, “Wow, I can’t believe it! These are so cool!” It really made me grin. There is amazement hidden in plastic cups and yarn. I promise, if you celebrate like that, if you stop to appreciate the scent of mango leaves and the sight of clouds and the sound of plastic cups, your life will be so much richer.

Also, look for glory in the people around you. The Bible says every human being is God’s image-bearer; His glory is on display in each of us. Look for the way each person in your life embodies God’s creativity, His kindness, His beauty. Look for what each person can teach you and how their example can inspire you.

By the end of their journey, heroes are always different from when they started. But it’s not that they’ve lost themselves – it’s that they’ve become more and more who they really are. As Christians, Jesus Christ is the goal of our quest, and our encounters with Him transform us into who we were always meant to be.

The hero’s journey ends with the freedom to live. Freedom to live means no regrets about the past, no fears about the future. In God’s presence, all our shame and fear fade away, replaced by confidence in His love for us.

I hope you find that wherever you go, you keep growing and becoming who you truly are. Whether you’re in a peaceful phase or a cliffhanger moment, may you always have the courage to move forward, armed with grit, grace, and glory. And may your quest lead you all the way into the loving presence of the Almighty. God bless you, Class of 2015.