Lucas adjusted his cap, the tassel hanging to the side, and approached the stage, hands sweating. Never in a million years could he have imagined the school would want him to speak at graduation. For that matter, he never imagined he’d actually graduate. He steadied his breath, wiped his hands on his gown, and approached the podium.

             “Congratulations, Class of 2021. I’m proud to be among this group of amazing kids.” Lucas paused, waiting for his classmates’ applause to die down
            “You’ve known me for four years now, and probably some of you are shocked to see me up here, especially those of you who knew me best freshman year when I was nearly expelled, back in the days when I cut class, smoked pot in the boys’ room, and got busted for stealing a car.”

              The auditorium fell silent. Lucas gazed around the room. “I didn’t exactly have a picture-perfect childhood. I never knew my father, and my mom decided I was too much trouble. I bounced around through foster homes until I was 14. I’d given up by then.”

              “I’ll never forget the day Tom Carter walked into my life. I was used to the do-gooders who thought raising a foster kid would somehow qualify them for heaven. Tom was different. For one thing, it was just him. I’ll never understand why a widowed guy would want to raise a problem teen by himself, but he did. From that moment on, Tom became a part of my daily life.”

              “It wasn’t a bunch of rainbows and playing catch in the yard. Tom had rules, and the rules were strict. I’d been in families with rules before, but if you broke them, they gave up on you. Tom told me from day one, no matter what, he would stick with me. Maybe that was the difference.”

             “Tom’s rules involved a lot of schoolwork. I never really cared about school before, but every night, he’d grill me about what we did in each class, and if I didn’t know, he’d get this look on his face. Not like he was mad, just disappointed. I started dreading that look, so I paid attention. Turned out, some of the teachers actually had some interesting things to say.” Laughter broke out throughout the crowd, and Lucas took a moment to gulp from his water bottle.

             “When I started paying attention, I started learning. Tom made sure I did all my homework. That’s when I realized I wasn’t dumb. My grades went up, and I cared about doing well so I wouldn’t let Tom down.”

              “One day I asked Tom why he put up with me. He told me it’s what God wanted him to do. He went to church every Sunday. He asked each week if I’d go with him but he never pressured me. Going to church wasn’t one of the rules. Told me it was always my choice.” Lucas laughed. “My choice. What teenager would choose to go to church instead of sleeping in on Sunday morning?”

            “One Sunday I decided to go. The look on Tom’s face was priceless. He didn’t make a big deal about it, just drove me there, talking about baseball or something, but I knew he was pleased. Once I went that first time, I kept going back, trying to figure out why Tom and the other people there did what they did. I found out I have a Father in heaven who loves me. Someone even greater than Tom.”

           “Listen guys, I know I’m supposed to be inspiring you to greatness. This is graduation, after all. But what I want you to know is that greatness comes in all different packages. You don’t have to be super handsome or athletic or intelligent to be great. All you have to do is make the difference in the life of another person.”
            “I’m on this stage today because Tom Carter took a chance on me. He listened to God when God told him to be a part of my life. And now I’m a high school graduate, and I even got a scholarship to go to college, where I’m going to learn to teach, so one day I can make a difference in the lives of kids like me.”

             “So that’s my charge to you, Class of 2021. Make a difference. Be there for someone else. Tom Carter is just an ordinary guy who did that. Tom may not be my father, but he sure is my dad.”

2 Samuel 7:14-15: I will be a father to him, and he’ll be a son to me. When he does wrong, I’ll discipline him in the usual ways, the pitfalls and obstacles of this mortal life. But I’ll never remove my gracious love from him.

 

 

Dear God, thank You for being our loving Father who teaches us, loves us, and leads us. Help us to guide the young people you place into our lives with the same spirit of loving-kindness.