God Was There - Kinzie Norton

Hi, everyone. So Sean kind of stole my first introduction, or my first sentence as an introduction to myself. But I have to do it anyways, just because it gets me in the flow of what I'm about to talk about. So hi guys, I'm Kinsey. I'm a senior graduating lesson a week. Oh my gosh, it still feels like really crazy to say that. If anybody else is graduating this coming Saturday, raise your hand. I just, a moment of solidarity for all that we've gone through. All right, okay, keep your hands raised, keep your hands raised if you're graduating. And if you love somebody who's graduating, we'll also raise your hand. I was hoping that would be like the whole room because I think there's a lot of love here to share. But I want you to know that this message is for everyone who just raised their hands today. If you're graduating or if you love somebody who is, this is for you. I hope that we can all take time to reminisce with me during this talk today about all the great relationships that have been made during these past four years at York, even if it's your first year here. Just take time to really be grateful for the life that you've created here and the people that I've been with you and what you'll take from this place and the memories that have been along with you the way. On the way. So I want to thank you for being here today, whether you're family, a friend of mine, a mentor, a classmate or somebody who's been part of this journey in big ways or small, it means the world that you would, I don't know, come listen to me talk. I'm kind of viewing this as like my senior goodbye. So thank you for letting me take the time to do that without permission. (laughing) But it's really nice to be surrounded by people who helped me get to this last week of school. Four years ago, I stepped onto this campus with a mix of excitement and fear. I had dreams, but I also had a lot of questions. Who would I become? Would I find my people? Would I be able to maintain a relationship with God in a completely new place? Looking back now, I'm honestly just an awe because God has been so present, so faithful, every step of the way and I don't just say that lightly. There were moments of deep joy here. Like the day I met the people who would become my best friends and I mean best friends and some of those are staff and faculty too. The kind of friends who show up for you when you don't even know how to ask for help and the kind of friends who speak truth and love who hold your hand through heartbreak and who celebrate your wins like their own. I look at these friendships and I see God's kindness and he gave me people, he gave me people who reflect his love so clearly and I will never take that for granted. And then there are moments I didn't expect like falling in love with Bruce, getting engaged and planning a life with somebody who loves Jesus. There's something so humbling about being loved that way and I hope that everybody feels love like that in their life. It's taught me more about God's heart than I will ever know and everybody that I've met along the way has showed me a little bit more about God. And somewhere in the midst of all that, I became a business owner, last August I bought a business and that sentence still feels very surreal. It's one of those doors that God opened so clearly but not without some fear owning a business at this stage in life that wasn't part of my plan ever but it was part of God's plan. And now I'm standing on the other side of that and I'm just so thankful I said yes because he showed me that his plans are always, always better. But do you know what stands out the most to me these past four years? It's not just the highlights or the celebrations or the milestones, it's the quiet moments. It's the moments I didn't know. It's the moments that I didn't know what was next when I felt like I wasn't gonna be enough. When I prayed prayers that felt more like whispers than declarations, in those moments, God was there. He was there when I was tired and when I was questioning. He was there when I was in my Thomas Hall dorm room crying my eyes out because of another assignment or just when everything might have felt too heavy. He was there in the late night worship sessions in my room and even on campus with all of my brothers and sisters. The conversations that changed everything in classroom to the cafeteria room table to even just the lawn. And those little reminders, the sun sets that I experienced, the songs I sang with friends and the well-timed word that I was never alone. I hope some of those things sparked memories for you and with the people you love most here. I hope you can think about those words I'm saying and somebody else you met here at York is a part of that picture. It reminds me that we're never alone, never. God has been my anchor through it all, my provider, my peace, and my joy. He's done so much more than I could have asked for, but not just for me and me. I've experienced a surreal transformation here at York. So I graduate not with just a degree, not with a business, not with a fiance and amazing friends, but with a deeper faith, a stronger trust and a heart that knows where home is. It's in him. So to every person who walked alongside me here, I thank you. Your love has been a part of God's goodness in my life. I know we've all had different experiences here and I don't wanna assume that mine is like y'alls because we're also different. But I hope that you can remember your time here and just see the goodness of God who has been woven throughout every day, every moment. I wanna take a time to pray over you, over the seniors that will be graduating this Saturday and all those that love them and are gonna stay here and carry on the tradition of loving one another so deeply and creating a community at York that feels like home. So if you'll bow your heads with me. Dear God in Heaven, I thank you so much for today. I thank you for the beauty that has been these past four years at York University and I ask that everybody who's not quite graduating yet, maybe this is something that reminds them to look around and to see your goodness and how it's woven throughout their lives. From times where you might feel alone and you might feel this heartened to the times where you feel God's presence so clearly like you could hold his hand. I ask that you open our eyes to your presence in our lives and the grace and the mercy that you're showing us along the way. For those seniors that are going on to the next chapter like I, I ask that you give us clarity and guidance and trust that your path will be made clear. I ask that you will just allow us to love one another deeply. We've all made mistakes that I know is true. It always will be. But I ask that you help us to lean into those mistakes and find mercy and grace for ourselves and for the others that might have been impacted. I love you so much, God, and thank you for your grace and mercy on us. Amen. So I don't know exactly where the next chapter carries all of us. But I know the author that's writing our stories and I think that's more enough for me. Thank you.