South Carolina valedictorian goes viral for speech detailing faith amid hardship following mother's death
Lydia Owens told her graduating class that her Christian faith sustained her after mother died
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A high school valedictorian in upstate South Carolina has gone viral for her graduation speech explaining how she has learned to find her value in her Christian faith.
Lydia Owens, valedictorian and senior class president at Woodmont High School in Greenville, told those who attended her graduation how her faith has sustained her amid recent hardships in her life, according to FOX Carolina.
"No matter what your future holds, please remember that your life is so much more than how successful you are," Owens said in her speech. "Even if you accomplish all of your dreams or none of them at all, you are still valuable, and you are still good enough because you are made in the image of God."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Owens went on to explain in the three-minute speech how her perspective changed two years ago after the death of her mother, who she said was her biggest inspiration.
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Lydia Owens, who is valedictorian and senior class president at Woodmont High School in Greenville, told those who attended her graduation how her faith has sustained her amid recent hardships in her life. (FOX Carolina)
"I had that reality check almost two years ago when my mom passed away," Owens said. "When tragedy struck my life, it wasn’t my grades nor my success that helped me navigate through that loss. When everything else in my life felt uncertain, the only person I could depend on was Jesus."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Owens told the local outlet that her mom "always pushed me to be my best self."
"Even if you accomplish all of your dreams or none of them at all, you are still valuable, and you are still good enough because you are made in the image of God."
"She always encouraged me in my faith, she's the reason that I had such a strong faith. She was the example to me of how to be a godly woman, and how to love people intentionally," she said.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Owens said she went through a difficult time in the wake of her mother's death that afflicted her with doubts about God and his plan for her life.
"I didn't understand how God could use such a terrible tragedy in my life for his glory," she said. Her faith and her family helped get her through the difficult time.
Lydia Owens said her mother was her biggest inspiration. (FOX Carolina)
Owens' father Brian told FOX Carolina that after his wife passed away, he gathered his family and said he was not quite sure what they were going to do, "but whatever we're going to do, we're going to do it together."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Owens told her graduating class that they "don't have to worry about whether or not you will be successful."
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"Because God promises that his grace is sufficient for us, and his power is made perfect in our weaknesses," she added to applause.