We made it. We made it! We have sat through hundreds of lectures, kept track of our hours, gotten our drivers licenses, gone to our first dances. This afternoon it feels like we have arrived. High School has been easier for some of us than for others, but for everybody it's a great accomplishment just to be here. So, today we get to party. But, today won't last forever, in fact it only lasts for another nine hours, or so—and then tomorrow, you've got to wake up and face the music.

No matter where you are headed I'd like to challenge to make Romans 12:2 your pattern for living. This verse says, "...be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Which means a conscious, daily surrender of our own thoughts and biasesto God's truth and guidance.

It's a big world out there—and sometimes it will scare you. I challenge you to be solid in your own convictions, and yet to be aware of what is going to be communicated to you day after day. The world will tell you that the only people worth respecting, or hanging out with, are the rich, the good looking, or the intelligent. The world will tell you that religion is some sort of buffet table where you pick and choose your own moral beliefs. The world will tell you that life is all about success, fame, money, and just having fun. The world is wrong.

First of all, people are worth respecting because they have intrinsic worth. As individuals we're all pretty special—we've been created in the image of God. We have the ability to choose between right and wrong. The ability to hate, to love, to grieve, to dream.

Five years ago I had the opportunity to spend a week in Romania, and I'll never forget that week, because it taught me so much about just how important people really are.

I met a smiling Romanian grandmother who showed me an my tour group around her home. This sixty year old woman owned a two room house with sparse furniture, and yet she was grinning, literally, from ear-to-ear as she showed us around. She was so happy with what God had given her that she had the rest of us grinning too. People are people, no matter how much money they have.

But, the world can't agree that we have intrinsic worth, because the world can't agree that there is a God who gave us that worth. I believe that God does exist, and He, himself, is worth serving. He has given us so much—so much love, so much grace, so many blessings and so many opportunities. Still, as Luke 12:48 says, "Éfrom the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." God deserves everything we have; in fact, it is only through serving him that we will truly be fulfilled.

Fulfillment. That's how we know whether we've lived a worthy life, or not, and that will happen only if our lives are marked by integrity, passion, trust, and selflessness. Integrity means doing what's right when nobody's watching us; especially when we don't want to. Passion means pursuing our dreams; giving everything we have to achieve our goals. Trust means giving our plans to God; focusing on the present instead of being focused on the unknowns. Selflessness means using our own gifts and talents to bless people; people who need to see Jesus' love in a tangible way.

On the last day of my week in Romania I visited a state sponsored mental hospital which had suffered funding cuts. Actually, the cuts were so bad that the staff had not received pay for three months, but they still kept coming back and taking care of the patients. Their responsibility and faithfulness in sacrifice has really inspired me.

In the end it all comes back to respect for other people. We can't live worthy lives ourselves if we don't understand the worth of others. Ask God to soften your heart and open your eyes. Reach out beyond your own comfort zone to connect with another person; it's hard, but it's worth it.

At that same mental hospital in Romania, I walked around, outsideÐin the courtyard, meeting some of the patients. There was a teenage boy there, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground; playing with his mouth and drooling, just like a baby. As we approached, he jumped up, squealing and shriekingÐgrabbing at anybody who walked by. Later that night, I found a mark on the back of my shirt from his slobbery hand.

You know? It's hard sometimes to even look at people like that, let alone love them. Your smile becomes forced, and you just feel awkward—you feel that you can't connect with them. But, I suddenly realized that those people there had been created in the image of God too. They are just as special, and just as important as me, or my mom, or my best-friend, and so, I reached out and squeezed his hand. He looked back at me with such surprise, and simple joy; it felt for a moment like it was Jesus looking back at me through his eyes. I was reminded of Jesus' words, "whatever you do to these, the least of my brethren, it shall be counted as done unto me." That's when He will make our lives truly worth living.

So, we made it. But, life's not over yet. In fact, we're still making it right this second. To all my classmates, and fellow graduates, one simple reminder—the world wants to change you. I challenge you to be transformed, be renewed, go out, and change the world.