Because, that is exactly what I did while scrambling to fulfill an invitation to speak at my college graduation. And, let me tell you, the rap seemed like a pretty fail proof way to go!
I must have rewritten 6 -or more!- drafts...searching and thinking and rethinking what might be meaningful and memorable. It was hard work! What did I want to be the takeaway from my 7 minutes of talking to students so excited and so full of dreams as I was? And slowly, week after long week of trying... a rap started to look like my only interesting option!
My message came to me one day as I was reflecting on my own life and trying to reassure myself that life was beautiful and meaningful, even though it doesn't always work out the way we planned. Sometimes, our plans weren't the best path for us after all. I believe -I know- that a loving God watches over our lives and helps us achieve our potential. And that, that knowledge, is enough to take a young college graduate through any life surprises.
Below is my speech - I hope readers will identify with its message and understand how this principle is dear to my heart. I wish I could hear speeches from everyone who crosses such an important finishing and starting line! (Also, here are some photos with my uncle who gave the commencement speech the day before me).
Dearest
classmates, friends, honored professors and deans…
I'm so glad each and every one
of you is here today. Graduating alone, without anyone to share your collegiate
experience or celebrate it with you, would be –in many ways- a lonely and empty
event. It would also be monumentally embarrassing because few- if any- of us
would wish to be caught wearing a cardboard hat and tent-like gown without the
assurance that hundreds of others were going to commit the exact same fashion faux
pas right along with us.
Today, with all
of us comfortably nestled in plush polyester navy, I hope to unpack an idea that
I have only begun to understand here at BYU, a campus that actively promotes
the primacy of life’s spiritual purposes.
A virtually
limitless world waits outside these doors, a world in which you are working and praying and studying
and planning to become doctors, businessmen, lawyers and academics… a world
where you have visions of writing best-selling books, or even founding a groundbreaking
NGO. I believe that you, my fellow BYU students, are capable of achieving these
good things you are planning and striving for in this world; both the material
comforts and the positive influences that you desire to have on those around
you. But I hope you will forgive me as I add an unexpected tint to this brilliant
tapestry of future success we have carefully, sometimes painstakingly, been weaving
in our minds ever since preschool.
The Lord may have other plans. The Lord may have other plans for you… than those that you have for yourself now.
My invitation to
us, and the future fathers and mothers we will become, is to always retain the
faith and humility to choose the unexpected family and career paths that God
asks us to take. It is not ever easy, but it is always character-defining.
I further gently add that the invitation to
follow our personal path of spiritual
success, our unique route of faith and service that the Lord knows and
understands we have the capacity to fulfill, rarely comes at convenient and
stable times. I can promise that at some phase in your life, the spirit will touch you and the prompting, or
instruction, or calling you receive may change your career or retirement plans
in ways that may be initially difficult for you to swallow. But, I also want to
promise you that such promptings will surely lead to spiritual success far
beyond the finite plans you’ve worked for so diligently on your own.
I want to share a
scriptural thought and two brief stories with you. Both stories are from my
family, and while they are not mine personally, they are personal as I have reflected on them over and over in my young
adult life.
First, The
Scriptural Thought: I recently read the account of missionary Ammon and saw the
story with new eyes. Many of us consider Ammon one of the most successful
heroes of the Book of Mormon, the missionary of an entire kingdom. But, in
reading about all his well-documented spiritual successes, I realized I had
never stopped to ponder why Ammon
chose to be a missionary…. Instead of a king. A KING. Ammon’s father had been a
righteous king and his grandfather Benjamin had also been a righteous king. It
is easy to conclude that Ammon would likely have been a good king as well. But,
he gave up being King… and so did his brothers. I had never stopped to consider
that this may have been a difficult or unusual choice for him at one time, that
he could not have predicted the spiritual success he would gain by following
the Lord’s plan for him. By being close to the Spirit, he gave up the
opportunities and comforts of kingship and was able to choose the path of
spiritual success that God had set before him.
Could we, my
fellow BYU students, give up being a king to live as a life-long missionary? I
know two men who figuratively did.
Story number 1: I
have an Uncle whose hard work and good fortune landed him at Microsoft early in
its development. As the company ballooned, so did his income, his international
responsibilities and his recognition in the business world. He was working
closely with corporate minds that are now household names and was perched for
booming business success. As my uncle
continued to ride on this wondrous wave of fortune, something unexpected
occurred in his family. His 3-year-old son was diagnosed with a brain tumor, a tumor
that- after removal-changed his child’s personality and care needs forever.
After much thought and prayer, my uncle felt impressed to forever leave his prestigious
position and become a full time dad. After over a decade of helping his family
and dedicating time and attention to international development causes, my uncle
is one of the most successful people I have ever known; an individual who has
won the hearts and respect of all who know him. Faced with nearly all the
prestige and wealth the elite in the world could dream for, my uncle was
invited up a different path. He chose the path the Lord set before him, and is
still reaping sweet spiritual successes.
Story number 2:
My father was a successful young psychology professor when he met the missionaries.
As my father became converted, other professors heard of his intention to join
the LDS church. A few of them made it clear that if my father got involved with
that religion, they would probably
not give him tenure. Refusing to deny his new-found faith, my father was
baptized a member of the church and- as warned- was denied tenure. Unsure about
what to do with his career, he was strongly inspired to go back to law school
at age 33, adding 3 more years and debt to his already 5-year graduate program.
By taking this leap of faith, my father acquired the experience and education
to fight for reform and ethics in the mental healthcare system. His ideas on
patient protection have been instituted internationally, laying the groundwork
for preventing psychological malpractice before it has the chance to
start. Decades later, my dad understands
that the Lord needed him to help save families through legal protections that
only 8 years of specialized education could craft.
Are we willing
now to take such leaps of faith? Will we be prepared to exchange our kingships for our spiritual
missions?
Dearest friends,
sprint for your goals and learn all you can. The Lord will bless your
determination and He will need all the skills that you are now developing to
serve Him and your family well. But, my beloved friends, remember…He may have
other plans for you… and that when unexpected, but guided, paths are placed
before you, miraculous and surprising successes will surely await.
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