Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

I'm sure everyone here has seen a picture of a mother duck leading her ducklings. Imagine the mother duck taking her ducklings up some stairs. The mother duck easily climbs the first stair and waits for the other little ducks to climb up. The first duckling stretches its wings as high up in the air as it can and stands on the tips of its little webbed feet. With a little help from its beak it manages to barely make the first step. Sometimes it requires a little help from mama duck to boost itself up. Despite the cute and rather funny part of this picture, it is possible to learn a lot from the ducks. The two ideas we can gain from them are leadership and following. In life each one of us is a leader and a follower at some point. Leadership is of key importance to the Christian, and also simply to every person. It is easy to imagine the kind of world that would ensue as a result of no leadership. There would be utter chaos and nothing positive would get done. Often we think of leaders as people with great authority such as the President of the United States, bosses of major corporations, and in the case of school, the principal and teachers. But the fact that does not readily present itself to us is that each one of us in some way or another is a leader. Everyone leads at some point in their life whether they realize it or not. Younger generations always look up to and follow older generations. Although they may not admit it, I am sure the underclassmen at our school have followed the lead and example of the Class of 2006. This is an awesome task to undertake: that of leadership. It is important to constantly remind yourself that someone is watching and following your lead. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Follow my examp... ...e tool in dealing with the problems that life throws our way. As a follower we must choose wisely who we associate with. A close group of friends can provide many things that help us along life's path in the Christian walk. Good Friends can provide support through tough times, accountability, and good fellowship. Leadership and following are not generally thought of as interconnected, though each one of us is both a leader and a follower. As a leader we must be a good example and a servant. As a follower we must choose wisely who to look up to and associate with and ultimately we must follow the perfect lead of Jesus Christ. I encourage everyone here, and especially the graduating class of 2006, to remember you are a leader, leading others to know Christ and His perfect plan for them, and a follower, learning to follow Christ and His perfect plan for ourselves.