Standing on the protocol established, I would also like to acknowledge:
•Principal Richard Morgan [and Mrs. Morgan],
•Pastor Steve Cornwall [and Mrs. Cornwall],
•The teachers and staff of the Maranatha Academy,
•Proud parents,
•Friends and families. and most importantly…
Graduates of the Maranatha Academy Class of 2025.
Congratulations! Big Ups!!!
It’s an honour and a joy to be here with you today, in this place of faith, of learning… and of launching into greatness.
Let me apologize, but I didn’t see a theme in the graduation booklet, so I’ve decided to title these remarks:
“The Pathway to Possibilities: Beginning of Greatness”
You’ve worked hard. You’ve prayed hard. You’ve made it. And while today may feel like the finish line. It’s not. It’s really just a starting block.
Just to drive home the point, I am going to quote Sir Winston Churchill: “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” You are not just crossing a threshold. You’re stepping onto a pathway – a Pathway to Possibilities.
The Quiet Power of Focus – The 12-Year-Old Jesus in the Temple
There’s a story in Luke Chapter 2 that’s always resonated with me.
Jesus is just twelve years old, and His parents find Him—not playing with His friends, not wandering off—but sitting in the temple, discussing deep questions with the teachers. Everyone was amazed. But the part that moves me is this, he was focused. At twelve! Focused!
He wasn’t distracted by peer pressure. He wasn’t following the crowd. He knew who He was becoming. And at twelve years old, he gave his time and energy to prepare for it.
So, here’s the first lesson, Class of 2025:
Stay focused, even when the world is trying hard to distract you.
Proverbs chapter 4, verse 25 tells us: “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.”
In the world that we live in today, distractions are everywhere:
•TikTok trends changing every 15 seconds.
•News headlines flashing anxiety every hour.
•Social media telling you who to be and how to look.
However, I am here today to encourage you not to let trends become your truth. And to not let the desire for popularity drown out your purpose. I am going to say them again. Do not let trends become your truth. And do not let the desire for popularity drown out your purpose.
Determination—Because the Journey Isn’t Easy
Here’s the second lesson: “Be determined.” Not everything will go your way. There’ll be setbacks. Rejections. Even a few epic fails. Sixteen months ago, I was fired. Five months ago, I was rehired. The Rev. T.D. Jakes likes to say:
“Bad times didn’t come to stay, they came to pass.”
Graduates, I want you to listen to me when I say this. Failure is not the opposite of success. Failure is the classroom where success is taught.
Michael Jordan, widely considered the G.O.A.T. of the NBA, said in a commercial that he did for Nike, and I quote:
“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career.
I’ve lost almost 300 games.
26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed.
I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life.
And that is why I succeed.”
So, take inspiration from him and from people like:
•Women’s Tennis Player Coco Gauff, who didn’t just win the U.S. Open—she lost first, then trained harder, believed, and came back stronger; or
•Tems, the Nigerian singer who started in church… and rose to the global stage because she kept going, even when no one was clapping.
Let that be you. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Philippians Chapter 4, Verse 13.
Lead with Compassion – Lift Others as You Climb
Now, this part is close to my heart. I’m sure you’ve heard the word “greatness” lauded on many persons before. But let me ask you this: What does greatness look like?
Is it:
•Money
•Power
•Respect
•Social Media Followers
Gentlemen, is it having the prettiest girl in the game wearin your chain? Nah. It’s none of that. True greatness – i.e. the kind that leaves a positive impact on the world – is rooted in service.
Jesus said in Matthew Chapter 23, Verse 11 that:
“The greatest among you will be your servant.”
Whether you become a doctor, an engineer, a teacher, an entrepreneur, or the Premier of these Beautiful by Nature Turks & Caicos Islands, Put God first. Put others before yourself. Be the one who uplifts others. Be the one who extends a helping hand when no one’s watching. Be the one who leads with love.
In my Budget Address this year, I quoted the words of esteemed actor Denzel Washington (not verbatim), and I am going to use them again now.
Graduates, put God first in everything you do. Everything you think you see in me. Every accomplishment was by the grace of God.
I have been:
• Protected,
• Directed,
• Corrected.
I’ve kept God in my life, and that has kept me humble. I didn’t always stick with Him, but He always stuck with me. So, graduates, I encourage you to stick with him in everything you do.
Now graduates, I am going to challenge you all today. I am going to challenge you to become the generation that does things differently.
There’s a popular saying, taken from the song “The Living Years”, released in 1988 by Mike + The Mechanics, that says: “Every generation blames the one before.”
But for you? I want your generation to be the first one that the succeeding generation thanks. Thanked not because you were perfect, but because you were purposeful. Thanked because you gave more back to the universe than you took away. Thanked because you chose to build, to serve, and to love when it would’ve been easier to scroll, to criticise, and to quit.
Think Long—You’re Planting Seeds for 2050
I now want to talk about the future. Graduates, all of you are under twenty today. That means your real influence — i.e. as a CEO, a teacher, an entrepreneur, a political leader, etc. — will probably occur around the years 2045 to 2050. That’s 20 to 25 years from now. So, I am asking you, what seeds are you planting today, or this year, to blossom during that time?
Think about that for a moment. What are you doing today to be able to have a positive impact on the world in 20 – 25 years? The world in 2050 will need:
•Leaders who care about the planet.
•Engineers with empathy.
•Doctors who listen.
•Teachers who inspire.
•Public servants who serve, not rule.
And most of all, it will need people who put others first. So, that’s your calling. And that will be your generation’s greatness and its legacy.
Graduates, your school motto says it best:“Education for Noble Service.”
And so, as you leave here, remember the words of Micah chap. 6, vs. 8:
“What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
Let that be your compass. Let that be your code. Let that guide you through every choice, every challenge, and every chapter ahead.
Closing – The Final Word
I will now end where I begin. There’s a moment in Luke chapter 2, verse 49, when Jesus’ parents found him in the temple, and they reprimanded him for not coming home for three days. His reply was: “Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?”
So, Maranatha Academy Class of 2025, whatever your “Father’s business” may be, stay focused, be determined, and lead with compassion. And no matter what path you walk, leave the world better than you found it.
Congratulations, Class of 2025! Your possibilities are endless. Your future is bright. And your greatness… has already begun.
And I want to say to my nephew, Roshan “E J” Cox, who left us too soon. I love you and I miss you.
Thank you.
God bless you all.
