My Favorite

Today I returned from a vacation. Not just any vacation, but a vacation on a cruise ship. I would have to say that is one of my favorite ways to enjoy time off.  One of my favorite things about cruising is dinner. You sit at the same table each night with the same waiter and get to know some interesting people. Our waiter for the trip was named Rolando.  Every item we ordered from the menu he would affirm by saying "my favorite".  This was amusing for a while, but after seven nights it lost the effect.
It didn't take long to figure out every item on the menu was his favorite. It reminded me of some recent favorite stories.
I had coffee with a man high in status with the Anglican Mission leadership recently.  He wanted to meet "people on the ground".  He really did use terminology like that. We were there to discuss things that were "above board" and "effective for the people in the trenches".  As we discussed the problems that other churches have and their hypothetical solutions, we discussed ways to mentor younger worship leaders. He told me that his church just hired the young man he "poured his life into" for the last several years.
In fact, or at least in the words of the guy I was talking with, he was like a father to this young man and helped to develop his leadership skills for many years.  He was "his favorite" worship leader now that the church had put him on full time. I expressed my nearly sincere appreciation for his dedication to "shape and mold him" (his words not mine).
I asked him the name of the young man that meant so much to him. Well....not even a first name? Nope. Could not recall the name of the young man, as the expression goes, to save his life (or ego).
This was nearly like the recent incident of a new father who approached me on a Sunday to request a song. Not an odd thing actually. I get song requests more frequently than when I played in bar bands. This one stood out because it was to accompany a baptism. This couple had a wonderful testimony. After many years of trying to conceive in which there were many problems, his wife finally gave birth to a beautiful baby. As the song request went, the father told me during the times of struggle, one song was like the foundation of peace. It was the song they listened to almost every day to get through this troubled time. It was their favorite song.
Sure I will do it! What is the name of this favorite song? "Um....I can't recall".  No problem, what are some of the words that meant so much to you? "Um... " How does it go? Hum a few bars (that never works).  Three strikes and we are out. No worries, he emailed me a few days later with the title, probably after asking his wife.  I did it for the baptism. It was wonderful.
I like the image the Bible gives for how God knows us. He knows each hair on our head (Mat 10:30). For me that isn't very much but my daughters have lots of hair. He knew us before we were born (Jer 1:5). And the scary part is he knows what we have done. Not in a silly Santa Claus "naughty or nice" sort of way, but in the "you may not get into heaven" kind of way.
I saw a bumper sticker once that read "Jesus loves you, but I'm his favorite". I'd like to think that's true.