What do you really know?

A few weeks ago, we attended the bittersweet, farewell Sunday for Dr. Browning at Smoke Rise Baptist Church.  Dr. Browning became a dear friend of the Scott's during his 12 years serving as the church pastor, and John Neal and I had the privilege to be married by him almost four years ago.  I appreciate the blend of confidence, humor, kindness and humility that he possesses; it was a joy getting to know him during our pre-marital counseling and our time in the Sunday School class he and his wife led. 

In his final sermon at Smoke Rise he shared things he "knew for sure" and I loved the message.  He went on to share with the congregation things he had learned, things he loved and things he clung to as truths he "knew for sure".  He encouraged everyone to spend some time doing a similar reflection....as I thought about this for awhile I realized there is a LOT that I don't know.  But then, there are a few things that I do...

What do I know for sure? Well, I know that...

• If I get comfortable on the couch after 8PM, I will fall asleep.
• John Neal is a lot like a mouse; if you give him a cookie, he will definitely want milk.  Me?  I'll just want another cookie....
• I would have to be unconscious or dead to go sky diving.  Never going to happen. 
• Men are funnier than women.  This pains me because I love nothing more than when JNS laughs at my jokes...I wish I made him laugh as much as he makes me laugh. 
• Dogs have it made.  Their owners feed them, play with them, scratch their belly, pick up their poop, talk about how cute they are, etc.  The dogs get all of this without having to say a word AND they get to lay around all day while we work.  No wonder Mully always looks like he's smiling....

In a more serious reflection, I know for sure that....

• Family is a treasured gift.  My family grew up in between my grandparents and my uncle/aunt/cousins.  We visited both sets of grandparents every Sunday - clearly, family is a priority.  I don't take for granted how blessed I am with my in-laws too...how grateful I am that I love and am loved by John Neal's family!  The older I get the more I realize how lucky I am to call all these people my family...I'm thankful for each of them and recognize the true gift that they are to me.
• I am blessed.  Although I can get distracted with current circumstances, I know without a doubt that I am blessed.  As an individual, I am fortunate to have a dependable job, work with some incredible girls, have a solid and encouraging group of friends, and be a part of a loving marriage & family. As Americans we are extremely blessed to live in a country where we can choose where to live, what career path to pursue (or change), how many children to have, who to marry, and more...I think we easily get wrapped up in all the current economic woes and forget this is a blessed country.
• I am not in control.  As much as I try to control my life - I am not in charge.  This is true, in part, because I cannot control outside factors (like people or events) & they can alter my plans or effort to guide certain things.  However, the biggest reason I can't control is because God is in the driver's seat.  No matter what I try to plan, His plan will prevail.  This should sound daunting for those of us who need to plan, but it actually comes as a great relief.  When I think back to different times in life when I thought I had "my plan" on track, God's plan fell into place and was not-so-surprisingly a much better plan than I could have ever constructed.  
• God loves us.  This is something that has been ingrained in my mind since childhood, but I don't think I truly began to grasp it in my heart until recently.  He created this world and all the people in it - although human nature is to sin, He still loves us dearly and wants us to love Him and others in return.  Jesus says in Mark 12 that we are to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart..." and to "...love your neighbor as yourself" - these are the greatest commandments.

Although I feel I truly know these things, I still need to be reminded of them.  Depending on what's going on around you, you can easily forget truths you should know.  I'm grateful to Dr. Browning for what he has done for John Neal and me in the last few years, but also for this opportunity to search and cling to these things I do know for sure.