Marsh Chapel Sermon Archive

Good morning and Happy Mother’s Day. My name is Rebecca Marshburn and I am a graduating senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. This I Believe:

I believe in Respect.
I believe this means sincerity not apathy, personal contact not automated machines, care and not disdain, compassion and not criticism, understanding and not judgment, empathy and not pity.

I believe in Love.
I believe that love itself is pure and perfect, but it is us that pervert it. I believe it can heal, hurt, elevate, and destroy. I believe it is only us that can bring love into fruition, and only us that can take it away.

I believe in Humanity.
I believe in pain over complacency, being hurt over being numb, feeling raw over feeling nothing. I believe life and death are two beautifully complementary realities.

I believe in Contradiction.
I believe that within each of us is the power to do good and the power to do evil. I believe each of us is an individual too multi-faceted to define with any sort of label.

I believe in New Ideas.
I believe we too often confine ourselves to paradigms we just can’t seem to shake.

I believe in Failure.
I believe failure is necessary. I believe others have failed me, and that I, have failed others. I believe that the last time I failed myself, failed someone else, will not be the final time. I still believe failure is necessary.

I believe in Each Other.
I believe what we can’t find in ourselves we can find in one another.

I believe in Understanding.
I believe that the more I learn, the more I learn I don’t understand as much as I thought. I believe that my education has taught me there is a vast difference between knowledge and understanding, and that the art of understanding is not static, but a fluid and ever-changing process as we grow daily.

I believe in Compromise.
I believe we need to better learn how to sacrifice.

I believe in Gratitude.
I believe that no matter what we may do, we must do it with humility. I believe, as we go out into the world penniless and confused, we must not lose sight of the things for which we are grateful, for which we exist: our family, our friends, our dreams, ourselves.

I believe in Change.
I believe that when you change, everything changes.

I believe in Light.
I believe that everyone has the ability to shine for someone else, and, that above all, we must strive to be that light.