Graduation: A Reflection

Belmont’s motto is “From here to anywhere,” and while I may be guilty of cracking jokes about that sometimes, these words have transformed from being simply a motto to having deep meaning for me over the last four and a half years.

I discovered who I was called to be at Belmont. This is a profound statement considering who I was when I started classes in August of 2006. I had just begun the process of working out my inherited faith, and having been fairly well burned by the churches of my youth, I had no desire to seek out a church home in Nashville. It was a perfect paradox. I firmly believed that Christian community was essential to growth as a believer, and yet I was running away from church at full speed.

I was also caught up in the miasma of youthful arrogance. I was indestructible. Like many college freshmen, I believed my opinion was already so well formed that nothing anyone could say would sway me. Enter Guy Chmieleski, Christy Ridings, and Micah Weedman. Over my time at Belmont, these University Ministers have spoken into my life on a consistent basis. They have been present with me in loss. They have celebrated with me in victory. And they have asked me the tough questions that have led to my spiritual renewal. They are, collectively, my spiritual directors.

But the great thing about Belmont is that intentional Christian community exists beyond the doors of University Ministries. Some of the most important conversations I have had about God over my time at Belmont have been with my professors. I’ve had the unique opportunity to dig deep into the roots of my faith with greats like Andy Watts, Steve Guthrie, Judy Skeen, and Ben Curtis. I’ve found a new love for the Bible thanks to Bob Byrd, Stephanie Crowder, and Mark McEntire. And I’ve learned the importance of integrating my faith into the real world from Mark Volman, Francis Daniel, and Jimmy Davis.

As I have grown into my faith, learning what it means to live as a child of the Divine Creator, I know that God has called me to live a missional life, whether that is as a mailroom clerk at Curb Records or as the future president of Belmont University. And I keep thinking back to that motto. “From here to anywhere.” How true that has been during my time at Belmont! If someone had told me as a freshman that I would be actively involved in a church in three years, I would have laughed. If someone had said that I would be in love with the depth and intricacies of scripture, I would have scoffed. Today, I cannot help but stand in awe of how God has moved in and through my life. I look back over the path on which God has led me, and I know that I am ready to go anywhere to live out God’s purpose for my life.

For many years, I have claimed Isaiah 6:8 as my life-verse. Isaiah writes, saying, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who shall go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” Here, the prophet Isaiah, incredibly moved by his experience with God, responds to a call on his life. I find it to be an appropriate sentiment for graduating seniors. As we have been awed by God, as we have been transformed, as we have been renewed, we respond to God’s beckon. So today, having been thoroughly transformed through my experiences at Belmont, I can reply like Isaiah as God calls out to me: “Here am I. Send me!”