One of Life's Great Milestones

Written by Miss Seanna Hollinger
Submitted by: Mrs. Hollinger

I recently passed one of life's great milestones! I graduated, with eight other homeschoolers, from high school a couple weeks ago. I gave a 7-minute speech to a very large group (about 200-400 people). The following is what I said at the ceremony:

Graduation Speech 2003

I would like to begin with a quote from Oswald Chambers, which is entitled "Gratitude for Home Training."

"Our family life in Perth was a very united one; each evening, after the home-lessons were done, was given up to games of various kinds. We found our enjoyment and entertainment in our home; no outside amusements could possibly compare with the fun and happiness to be found there. We never had any desire to be out playing or walking with chums...

"I feel traits in my character which I knew not of before, and it causes me to bow in deeper gratitude for that home training which I have now left, for the training and disciplines of life. Oh! What a mighty influence home life has on us! Indeed, we do not know how deep a debt we owe to our mothers and fathers and their training."

I, too, owe my parents a debt of gratitude. They began homeschooling me when I was in kindergarten. Back then, home education was not necessarily the most "popular" thing to do. However, my parents wanted to give me a chance at something better. Through their decision to home school me, they laid a solid foundation for everything to which I now aspire. Femininity, virtuous womanhood and someday being a godly wife and mother.

I am so thankful my parents chose to home educate me because it has given me the chance to see God's plan in action. My mother was a superior example of a woman who realized her noble calling. She rose to the challenge, defying society or anyone to believe that her laborious efforts in forming my mind and character were uselessly wasted. What was her noble calling? To answer that question I would like to share with you some current thoughts on godly womanhood from Beall Phillips' book entitled "Verses of Virtue."

"Only to the modern mind is submission equated with weakness, femininity with simple-mindedness, and motherhood with unfulfillment. The Bible knows of no such dichotomy. The scripture describes the virtuous and submissive woman as having "strength and honor" and being worthy of praise. She is neither a mouse, nor a pretty ornament.

"Here is a startling revelation; Men and women are different! Even more startling to twenty-first century minds may be the fact that God intends us to rejoice in these differences. Men are to be masculine leaders and women are to be feminine helpmeets. We are to look different, to fulfill different roles, and to do so as if our lives depended on it-because they do. Upon the simple principle of distinction and authority rests all of law, society, and culture.

"What a trust God has given to women. What an honor. Shame on those of our sex who mock, belittle, and complain about motherhood. You see, there is no higher calling, no greater privilege than being a vessel of life and later a teacher to souls which will live forever.

"No empire, no credential, no golden treasure, no corporate success story can ever rival the glory of this calling.

"Praying mothers, teaching mothers, faithful mothers--the Church needs you. She needs mothers who will crave children, and love them and bless them and train them to be the warriors of the next generation.

"Why is it important that parents cast a vision for their children? Without a vision, they will perish. Without vision, they will despair for lack of hope. The vision of the world is dark and selfish. We must supplant it with the shining beauty of a vision of virtue."

This is the vision which my mother role-modeled to me. Now it has become my own personal vision. I know that if I would not have been home schooled I would never have even dreamed of it. We must have vision, and not just a vision of what we'd like or what we want, we need to have a godly vision that is based on biblical principles.

Years ago I looked ahead to this day, when I would be 18 and graduating from high school. It seemed light years away! Then I heard someone say that my character would be essentially formed by time I got there. I was only 15 then, but I took a good look in the mirror, and decided I definitely did not want be exactly what I was for the whole rest of my life! A vision was born. I knew I wanted godliness, and I was determined to have it at all costs.

I realized that I only had a certain amount of time to change, but that every single day brings new opportunities for growth. The thing that I marvel about is that it is the seemingly small events in our life which can mold and shape the greater part of our character. I am so glad that my father began teaching me, at an early age, that the decisions I was making then would effect my whole life: the way we respond when our parents tell us to do something; the way we act when we're out with our friends; the things that we do when we know that no one is watching. Our life is a series of decisions that represent little battles, and make up the great war of how we turn out. We fight little battles every day. Some we respond to in a way which we know is wrong--those are lost. Some are fought with spiritual knowledge and fervor. In those, we draw upon the Lord for our strength; we ask for the ability to obey His law, His precepts, and to resist what we really want to do; so that in the end, we can be victorious--those battles are won.

We can all experience defeat, but what I want to share with you today is that if you are not serving God to your fullest extent, now is the time for change. It doesn't matter if you are 15, or 25, or 42, or 8--the time to change is now. If you are sitting in this room today, God is calling you to zealously serve Him. He wants people who will obey Him at any cost, and not be like the lukewarm Christians described in Revelations. He wants us to be hot! To be on fire for God; not caring what anyone else thinks; not cowering under peer pressure; not giving in to our own wants and desires. If we are not following God, we are serving Satan. The choice is now--God says "to choose this day whom you will serve."

There is a song called "Once to Every Man and Nation" which underlines this basic principle. I would like to read you some of the words:

"Once to every man and nation,
Comes the moment to decide,
In the strife of truth with falsehood,
For the good or evil side;
Some great cause, some great decision,
Offering each the bloom or blight,
And the choice goes by forever,
Twixt that darkness and that light.

"Though the cause of evil prosper,
Yet the truth alone is strong;
Though her portion be the scaffold,
and upon the throne be wrong,
Yet that scaffold sways the future,
And, behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow,
Keeping watch above His own."

Graduation is upon us! We are making choices now that will affect the rest of our life, either for good or for bad. I want to leave you all with a solemn exhortation to choose the good and despise the bad, no matter how appealing it might seem.

Today is a day for us graduates, but even more, I think it is a day for those who lead us here. I believe my parents deserve a standing ovation for their resolve to obey God in His command to "train up your child in the way he is to go." Will you join me in applauding my parents and all the other parents who have stood against the tide of criticism and indoctrination so that we could have a more promising future?

May our Lord bless each and every one of you as you seek to follow Him,
Seanna

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