Baccalaureate speech

I just want to say that prayer has so much more power than we can even imagine. All day I prayed to God asking that he take away my nervousness. I knew if I was as nervous as I was all day when I went to that podium then my speech would have no impact at all and it would be pointless. Literally 1 minute before I was going to speak, I went completely calm. I was an awesome feeling. So here is the speech.

“ Don’t let your lights go down, Don’t let your fire burn out, cause somewhere, somebody needs a reason to believe. Why don’t you rise up now, Don’t be afraid to stand out, that’s how the lost get found.”


For the last several weeks God has diverted my life down a road that I never thought I would travel, due to my fears. Then something put a crack in those fears, that something is a song called “The Lost Get Found” by Britt Nicole. After hearing that song I decided that I wanted to do something different with my life, and that I wanted to stand out and step out.

All my life I have been raised in a Christian home and I have been going to church, but I have never wanted to spread God’s word like I do right now. My earthly fears are what has held me back all this time. I would think to myself “ what if they completely rejected me” or “ will they think I am just some Christian who is trying to convert people to my religion.” I never realized that it does not matter what they think, and now rejection would just give me more will power to keep spreading the Word of God.

I have had this urge to do something to tell others about the love of God. So I have started a blog that focuses on standing out and spreading God’s Word. It shows God’s love through a few of the articles that I have written and through music that is playing while people are reading. But I don’t want to stop there. I want to go up to somebody who I feel led to talk to. I want to go on a mission trip somewhere, maybe Africa I don’t know yet, wherever God tells me to go. I want to make a difference in this world.

Every Christian is given the chance to witness to somebody, but not every Christian will take that chance. I don’t want to miss the chances that will be given to me. I will never be afraid to witness to somebody, but I will still probably be a little nervous like I am right now.

As I am standing here, I see my family, my friends, and the family of my friends; I have this strong feeling that I need to share something with some of you. I don’t know the hearts of anybody in this room, but my. I don’t know if you are a Christian or not, I don’t know exactly how all of you are living your lives, But what I do know is that some of you do need to turn your lives around, and that some of you have something missing from your lives.

That something is Jesus. Have YOU accepted Jesus Christ into your life yet? Examine your heart right now. How are you living your life? Are you doing what is pleasing to God? Are you living day after day following Jesus or are you following the world? You can’t live like the world and be a Christian at the same time, and if you are following the world then maybe you should reevaluate your salvation. Is Jesus Lord of your life?

I want to tell you right now, it is not too late to give up your old life and start a new one. It is not too late to ask Jesus into your heart. If you need to talk to somebody there are several pastors and youth pastors who are here right now who would be more than willing to talk to you after this service or you could even give them a call in a day or so. I encourage you, if you are feeling any conviction in your heart right now to do so. Don’t let that feeling go away, without you doing something about it.

As my speech comes to an end, I want my fellow classmates to know that once you leave this high school, you are going to be hit with the temptations from the world. You are going to be forced to start your life. You will have important decisions to make, do you want to make those decisions blindly or do you want God to have his hands over you guiding you, so you can make the correct decisions. You can not live a truly happy life without him in your life. I want all of you to reach your goals, but I want you to reach your goals while knowing your place in life and where you will be going after this life is over. So if and when you get the chance will you take it?