The valedictorian and senior class president at Woodmont High School, Lydia Owens, was one of the few pleasant surprises so far in 2023. Instead of going on a long, woke rant during her commencement address, Ms. Owens decided to take a faith-based approach to speaking to her classmates and remind them that they’re made in the image of God.
“Even if you accomplish all of your dreams or none of them at all, you are still valuable and you are still good enough because you are made in the image of God,” Owens said during her brief speech.
Her powerful speech went viral and led to a commendation from Reverend Franklin Graham, son of famed Evangelical leader and preacher Billy Graham. Posting about Ms. Owens on his Facebook page and commending her speech to his more than 10 million followers.
Beginning, he told his followers what she did and praised her willingness to talk about God in public rather than being “ashamed” to do so, as many Christians sadly are. He said, “Lydia Owens was valedictorian and senior class president at her South Carolina high school, and this week her commencement speech made the news. Why? Because she wasn’t ashamed to talk about God.”
Continuing, Rev. Graham then told his audience what Ms. Owens said, which is that everyone is “made in the image of God,” and that it is Jesus Christ who helped lift her up and help her get through the painful loss of her mother. “She encouraged her classmates by telling them that they were made in the image of God, and she shared that Jesus Christ was the one who helped her through losing her mother,” he said.
Rev. Graham then quoted a particularly powerful portion of Ms. Owens’ speech, which is when she talked about Jesus guiding her through the pain when she lost her mother. “She said, ‘When tragedy struck my life, it was not my grades nor my accomplishments that helped me navigate through that loss. When everything else in my life felt uncertain, the only person I could depend on to stay the same was Jesus,'” he said.
He then, after using the quote to show her fearless discussion of Jesus, praised her for making what will likely be a lasting mark on everyone with her speech, saying that the lives of many will be impacted for all eternity by their being drawn to Christ after listening to her talk about her faith and faith in Christ, saying, “Lydia, that is truth that can impact lives for eternity and I’m sure many will never forget what you said. Congratulations on your graduation—may God bless and guide your next steps!”
During her speech, Ms. Owens also spoke to WHNS about how her departed mother guided her in her faith journey, leading her toward Jesus, saying, “She always pushed me to be my best self and always encouraged me in my faith. She’s the reason that I have such a strong faith. She was the example of how to be a Godly woman and how to love people intentionally.”
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