What I Didn't Know Then

When I was a little girl I didn't know that soup was not the product of a can or that bread could be categorized as white, wheat, or whole grain. It was just bread, with all its enriched white goodness, to be dipped into a bowl of Campbell's.

As I draw closer to 40 the sheer volume of what I did not know before and do not now know leaves me speechless (a state in which I rarely find myself). 

But there were times in my life when I was certain there was not much more, if anything, to be learned. The decade of my twenties was the worst. I knew everything and was perfectly happy to grace all around me with the depth of my knowledge and insight. 

In honor of that decade I thought I would write my Top 10 list of things I did not know when I was in my twenties:

1.  The more you tell people how much you know, the more they know you really don't know much at all.

2.  Hospitality is more about making space for others in your life than impressing them while they are in that space.

3.  It's not that hard to become too busy.

4.  Sitting and holding my babies so that they would take a good nap was my job, so there was no need to fret over the dirty dishes.

5.  Not everyone liked Jesus, so how could I expect everyone to like me?

6.  The most powerful moments are generally the quietest with only a few others in attendance.

7.  God loves me because I am His child, not because of what He can do for others through me (that's just His icing on the proverbial cake).

8.  I have the privilege of keeping my opinions to myself when sharing them would not add value.

9.  The more I exercise #8, the more value my opinion adds when I do share it.

10.Love is like a lucky penny. Hold it tight and you won't have any. Give it away and you'll have plenty.

By no means is this an exhaustive list, but from this tiny glimpse I believe you begin to see why, after a decade like my 20s, I am so looking forward to turning 40!