high school.

I graduated from high school today.

The whole experience is still really surreal. I remember a senior telling me freshman year, "High school flies by." I didn't really believe her at the time. But now I do. In fact, I can barely remember being handed my diploma this morning!

That was a joke.

Or an attempt at one, anyway.

Not only was today special because I graduated, but because I got to share my heart with several hundred people. It was the coolest thing I've ever been able to do.

Really.

To stand up in front of a rather eclectic group of people and tell them about my God. Who could ask for anything else?

Since many - or should I say, most - of you were unable to participate in this event, I'm copying my speech below:

My fellow graduates, Mr. Crane, teachers, staff, family and friends, I’m standing before you today for one reason, and one reason only: the Almighty God. This God has captivated my heart. My story isn’t grand; I’m just a girl once stuck with a stale perception of Christianity who has finally come to grasp the depth and strength of her God! My hope is that you too, will come to see the glory of this mighty God, as I share my story.

One of my heroes, Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said:

Look up…you who are captivated by the events and changes on the surface of this earth…Look up, your redemption is drawing near. Something different than you see daily, something more important, something infinitely greater and more powerful is taking place. Become aware of it, be on guard, wait a short while longer, wait and something new will overtake you! God will come, Jesus will take possession of you and you will be redeemed people.

I’m just your average 18-year old girl. I love watching The Office and rolling my car windows down and blasting Taylor Swift music. I frequently come home past my curfew. And I still think that throwing toilet paper in friends’ trees is a great way to spend Friday nights.

But this God has taken possession of me. It took a while though. Growing up, my suburban life has afforded me nothing but comfort and blessings: I have been raised in a supportive family that loves the Lord. For so long I’ve felt like I’ve been hearing the same things over and over again. My faith has grown stagnant.

Coming to Maranatha, however, has revolutionized my faith. I’ve learned two life-changing lessons here:

The first is that we live in a crazy world. In the last year, my eyes have been opened up to its harsh realities: terrible things I never thought existed, like human trafficking—the third most lucrative illegal industry in our world today. People, our fellow human beings, have become mere commodities—right up there with drugs and weapons—to be traded and exploited. And I’ve been alive, for 18 years, thinking slavery was long gone—oblivious to it all. That could have been me. Why am I here in America, living in complete comfort, taking my freedom for granted while people are suffering? It’s just not right! I don’t deserve any of this, and I certainly can’t go on living as I always have knowing that people are dying for deliverance! I have to do something.

And just as my awareness of our world and my role in it has changed, so has my view of God.

That’s the second thing I’ve learned: Our God is so much more than felt boards and cheezy light blue sashes. He is the Creator of the universe. The Author of salvation. The Healer of hearts. The Overseer of the overcomers. The Lover of the lost. The Hope of the hopeless. The Father to the fatherless. The Servant of all. The Famous One. The Alpha. The Omega. He is everything. He is all we need.

This is our God, the One we serve! His heart breaks for the orphaned, the oppressed, the widowed. He longs to see justice reign. He emptied Himself for you and for me. We were made for a relationship with Him, and we are made alive in Him.

And because of that, I owe Him everything. I want my life to about Him. Christianity isn’t about comfort. I don’t want to live a “normal” life. There’s no meaning in anything I do, unless it’s for God, His glory, or His Kingdom—because He’s the source of life. I cast everything else aside because the desire of my heart is to bring Him praise; I want to reflect Him and His heart for justice.

In Isaiah, the voice of the Lord cries out, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” And Isaiah responds, “Here I am. Send me!” And even as this awkward, inadequate teenager, I feel myself saying the same thing: “God, use me! Send me, Lord!”

But where do I start? I can’t drop out of high school, move across the world, and just begin breaking people’s chains. I can’t change the world by myself. But I can do my part. God can use each and every one of us! He has gifted us beyond measure, and if we use our talents, if we all do our part, if we all take up our cross and follow him, this world can change.

Let this God take hold of you. Let Him guide you and your choices. Let Him redefine your idea of success. Let Him break your heart for what breaks His. Let His power fill you in your weakness, and give you strength to do things for His Kingdom. Let him change you.

Because of what I’ve learned here, at Maranatha, which means “the Lord cometh”, this God has come into my life. He has invaded my heart. He has changed me, and I won’t ever be the same. I’m not perfect, by any means. But His grace sustains me, and I can stand here and say that I have chosen to give my life, my whole life, to honor Him.

And I hope and pray you will dare to join me in this adventure. I challenge you with this: Abandon the need to be normal. Forsake the tendency to take control of life. Let love tear down the walls that divide us. Don’t make success a goal. Rest with the assurance that God will provide. Seek after His heart. Follow His calling.

We must use our talents, our gifts, our strengths to contribute to something greater than ourselves, to make a difference in this world that is so hungry and thirsty for hope. We can’t let apathy hold us back, fear keep us from trying, or hardship prevent us from finishing. We ought to live a life worthy of the calling we have received, a life in honor of the Most High, the one true God, the Savior King!

So look up…you who are captivated by the events and changes on the surface of this earth…Look up, your redemption is drawing near. Something different than you see daily, something more important, something infinitely greater and more powerful is taking place. Become aware of it, be on guard, wait a short while longer, wait and something new will overtake you! God will come, Jesus will take possession of you and you will be redeemed people.