It is interesting
each year to scan the internet and read portions of some of the speeches that
are given by graduation speakers in high schools and colleges. Some of them are
significant and others are silly if not senseless. This year one could assume it
would be different due to the “coronavirus chaos.” Many institutions either
cancelled graduation, postponed them, or arranged to do virtual celebrations. This
year I did not check out many of the graduation speakers. Perhaps I was more
interested in one graduation more than others. Our oldest granddaughter,
Kathryn, was graduating from high school.
A month ago, I was informed that she would
be the Salutatorian speaker at her high school graduation in rural north
country New York in the foothills of the Adirondacks. I wondered weeks before
the graduation if it would occur. Finally, it was confirmed that there would be
an actual ceremony. The school district made creative arrangements with a local
drive-in movie theater near the campus of South Lewis High School to hold the
graduation there. Graduates met at the high school, boarded decorated buses,
and were brought “socially distanced” to the drive-in. There they were greeted
by cars filled with family and friends with reserved tickets. Cars honked their
greetings as waving hands protruded from bus windows. As cars tuned to the
frequency of the drive-in broadcast, thirteen buses circled the drive-in. The
buses stopped and individually discharged graduates to walk across the large,
portable, covered stage to sing, give speeches, and receive their diplomas. It
was different, impressive, and reflected the school’s forethought, effort, and
genuine concern for the graduating students. The graduates were masked, but one
could well imagine the smiles veiled behind their custom designed graduation
masks!
Kathryn was one of the first speakers. In
her opening remarks she said, “Someday we’ll tell stories about the time the
entire world shut down because we were all scared of the coronavirus.” She said
the virus was not the only thing that challenged the graduates during their
years of education. She added, “Some of these challenges were relatively small
personal challenges. Some were challenges we faced as a team, some we faced as
a class. Whatever the obstacle was, we overcame it and as a result, have made
it here today.” It was encouraging to hear a positive comment during a time
which was being painted by many in our culture with the pessimistic colors of
doom and gloom.
A prophet in the Old Testament, Habakkuk, also
lived in difficult times. Things were so bad he even wondered if God was
listening to his cry for intervention. He describes his days as a time of
violence, injustice, wickedness, perversion, and the demise of the righteous
(Habakkuk 1:1-4). The prophet was burdened, distraught, and confused. Into this cauldron of crisis God simply reminds the prophet, “But the just shall live by
his faith” (2:4). Habakkuk was not given all the answers he thought he needed.
He was given the operational principle that would carry him through these
difficult times as well as all of life.
Habakkuk responds not with frustration to
God’s response. In fact the encounter in the Bible records his prayer that ends
with a beautiful hymn of faith, “Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and
there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the
fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the
cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the
God of my salvation! The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as
surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights” (3:17-19). The prophet
adjusted his focus from the tough times to the God he could trust in those
times. He realized this focus allows a person to walk through life surefooted and
not stumbling around.
Kathryn’s speech had a rather realistic
view of life. She said, “Life will not stop giving us challenges. We all will
continue to have bumps in our lives.” She encouraged underclassmen not to
become discouraged and quit but instead to keep entering this adventure called
life. She said, “My advice to underclassmen is to use this time to explore. You
have the opportunity right now to try new things with people who are willing to
help you, and you may not get an opportunity like this again. Don’t worry about
what people will say about you. The only person whose opinion about you matters
is you.”
The comments she made ended with advice
from one on her teachers. “Don’t be stupid. Don’t do things you will regret.
Don’t regret the things you do.” Good advice for more than graduates! Maybe I
would add one more for my granddaughter, “Don’t let people and circumstances
around you distort your focus. Rejoice in the Lord!” Congratulations 2020
graduates!
