Below, please find the text of Ed’s speech to Liberty University’s Convocation on February 6, 2017
It’s an honor to share the stage with President Falwell and Dr. Borek, and I will keep my comments short because like everyone else here I’m eager to hear from him.
I spoke here in 2014, and it is incredible to see how much Liberty has grown since then. As you probably know, Virginia’s economy is struggling. There aren’t many places in the Commonwealth where you see construction cranes in the skyline. But there are some: Tysons Corner, outside our nation’s capital is one; Richmond, our state capital, is another; …And Liberty University!
And that is a testament to President Falwell’s strong leadership, continuously building on the vision of Dr. Falwell, Sr. for this great institution.
I grew up in a traditional Irish Catholic family, and my Faith is central to my life. I’ve always loved the sacraments of my Church, and the beauty of the Mass. But the truth is, I was not raised to talk about my personal relationship with our savior, Jesus Christ. Happily, over time that’s become more comfortable to me. Today I’m glad to be able to share with you how that relationship sustains me, and how my Faith helps me through difficult times — in hopes that it might somehow be helpful to you.
Romans 8:28 tells us, ‘…We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.’ As I look back on my past, the first part of this verse explains a lot to me — all things, including defeats and unpleasant experiences, work for the good.
The Atlanta Falcons are having a hard time seeing that today, but it’s true.
You see, some of the most disappointing moments in my life have resulted in the best things that ever happened to me.
You attend an incredible university. I’m sure every single one of you had Liberty at the top of your college wish list, and were ecstatic to get your acceptance letter.
My experience… was a little different. My parents never went to college, but they insisted that I do. So when I was a senior in high school, I’d set my sights—and my heart—on a very elite liberal arts college in New England. In retrospect, given my grades and SAT scores, it was beyond my reach. But I’d convinced myself I could get in. I didn’t, and I was devastated.
I ended up going to The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Interestingly — Governor Terry McAuliffe went there too. But don’t hold that against me! Clearly, I had the better professors.
At freshman orientation on campus, I got a serious crush on a girl I met there. She was smart and funny and pretty. We dated, and I fell in love and thought I would spend the rest of my life with her. But in our sophomore year she transferred schools, and for a while we tried to keep our relationship going but on one visit to see her… she broke up with me. I was heartbroken. Despondent. Thought I’d never be able to be truly happy. I threw myself into my studies, and work.
I was working my way through school — including as a senate parking lot attendant, parking the cars of the staff that worked in those big Senate office buildings. Parking cars led to an internship, a desk job, inside one of those buildings. And that led to a full-time job with a member of Congress.
In 1985, after Ronald Reagan’s landslide re-election, I interviewed with a couple of newly elected congressmen to be a press secretary. One was considered by the media to be a “rising star.” He’d worked in the Reagan White House, and the conventional wisdom was that he was destined for greater things and higher office. The other was a former economics professor, whose election was considered a fluke and he was thought to be a little eccentric.
I wanted to work for the rising star, but he didn’t offer me the job, so I ended up going to work for the somewhat nutty professor! His name was Dick Armey, and I worked for him for over a decade as he rose through the ranks to become the first Republican Majority Leader in the US House of Representatives in 40 years, and prepared me to become chairman of the Republican National Committee and then counselor to the President of the United States of America, George W. Bush.
When I worked for President Bush, during a very challenging time in his presidency, he would often say, “I couldn’t do this job if it weren’t for my Faith.” It’s how I feel about being a husband, a father, and now a candidate.
Oh, I should tell you… that “rising star” I’d interviewed with in 1985? He lost his next election, never to be heard from again.
Of course, I never would have worked on Capitol Hill… if I hadn’t gone to Catholic University. Guess what? I didn’t belong at an elitist, secular college in Massachusetts. I belonged at a blue collar, religious college in Washington, D.C. Many of my best friends today are those I made at Catholic U, and my Faith was deepened there.
And Washington is where I met one Cathy Hay… on a congressional league co-ed softball team. In May, now Cathy Gillespie and I will celebrate our 30th Wedding Anniversary. We have three wonderful children, and we are more deeply in love today than the day we were married. Cathy is smarter, funnier and prettier than any woman I’ve ever met. And she is my soulmate.
As it’s turned out, those feelings of devastation, heartbreak and rejection earlier in my life — while not fleeting — were temporary. And every one of them led to lasting acceptance, love and fulfillment. Of course, I didn’t know then what I know now. I wish I did. And I wish I had then the relationship with the Lord that I have now, because I would have had greater acceptance and much more peace in trying times.
Emotions are natural, but when you accept God’s will, sadness need not give way to despair. Disappointment doesn’t have to be bitter. And you can deal with rejection without losing self-worth. Knowing that… “in all things God works for the good of those who love him”… is an effective coping mechanism — unlike scarfing down chocolate or binge watching Netflix.
I suffered another rejection in 2014, when I last spoke at Convocation, losing the race for United States Senate by 8/10ths of a percentage point. 17,600 votes. Less than 10 votes per precinct. Not that anyone’s counting! But I am a better person for having made that race. And I am a better candidate now because of that experience.
And after that disappointing loss, I heard from so many of my fellow Virginians urging me to run for governor that at some point, I stopped feeling that I was being urged to run, and started feeling that I was being called to serve.
And that’s where the second part of Romans 8:28 comes in: For those “who have been called according to His purpose.”
In my campaign for governor, I feel very deeply that I “have been called according to His purpose.” As I travel our beautiful Commonwealth, and talk to laid off coal miners, heroin addicts in recovery, parents of children trapped in failing schools, young people like you struggling with student loan debt — I know I can make a difference.
Can make Virginia stronger, better and safer. And stand for timeless principles and fundamental freedoms, including the protection of innocent human life and religious liberty.
I love Romans 8:28 because it puts our past in context, and helps rids us of the corrosive effect of living with regret. And it inspires us with hope for a future in accordance with God’s will. I don’t yet know if it’s God’s will for me to be a servant leader, both a faithful servant and a good shepherd, as the next Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. But we’ll find out soon enough! The results are in… We just don’t know them yet.
I do know this. I am blessed, and so are you. And whatever disappointments may come our way, we can be sure that God has a plan for us, that Jesus loves us, and we will know His purpose for us in time to revel in it.
Thank you for letting me be with you today. God Bless you. God bless Liberty University. God bless the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the United States of America.