I Know Nothing

I recently defended my dissertation and passed with a few edits to make. This means I graduate on December 13, 2019. A three year journey comes to an end. I went to a Pentecostal Seminary on purpose. I wanted to 1) be taught by professors who believe in the power of God's Spirit and 2) I wanted to experience the Spirit of God in my education. I do not regret my decision.

Now as I realize that I am getting my life back, I am purposely taking time to rest and reflect before jumping in to an already developing busy schedule in 2020. One of the first reflections I had post defense was that I end this educational journey in a posture of humility.  I realize that I had and will always have so much to learn and more importantly, I know nothing. Sure, I have information in my brain. I can dialogue on a number of topics but when it comes to La Vida/Life with its twists and turns and roller coaster thrill rides, I graduate with questions not answers. I graduate with uncertainty not certainty but I also graduate being ok with that.

I think whether you end up going through formal education or not, life intends on giving us lessons that will eventually take us to that point of being ok with not knowing anything with certainty. I was first thrust into that journey when my second son, Daniel Jeremiah was born at 26 weeks of gestation. I was doing all the "right" things and still something I would have never dreamed of happened. Even though hundreds of folks joined us in prayer for healing over my son, he is twenty and still has a boatload of medical issues that we have learned to live with and thrive in as a family. DJ was my first teacher that $#it happens even when you love God, serve others and have checked off the 'to do list' of things Christians do.

After that I had a series of things happen that continued to remind me that life is what it is and if I was going to be at all at peace in life and carry some kind of joy, I had better learn to embrace it as it was instead of keep dreaming about how it should be "that way" and bitter about how it was "this way." Yeah, if you know me personally you have probably already seen big changes in me. I for one love who I have become and am so excited about the person I am still becoming. But today, as I glance over what has been my life up until this point, one thing I know for sure is that I know nothing and I'm okay with that. 

Me after my oral defense on 11/20/19 at Southeastern University. Degree to be awarded Doctor of Ministry.