trust Him.....even when things get weird

In a few weeks I will be heading up to speak at a retreat near Truckee with my cousin.
The theme for the weekend is Trust Him.
Surely, this is the theme for a lifetime.
And it is no small undertaking. That is for sure.
I have been pondering all the things that I might talk about.
That He above all else is trustworthy.
That He is love and surely, we can rest in the presence of the One who loves us the most.
That God knows everything and we know nothing so really it is just common sense to
give ourselves over to him.
And it is easy to do when everything is going the way we want it to.
Then we are very trusting and say spiritual things like, "God really knows what He is doing!"
and "I feel so close to Him right now."
But it is funny how when my life takes a left turn, that trusting Him is not my first inclination.
Most of you who know me, know that I am not that spiritual and I usually say things like,
"What in the world?" and "God? Do you see what is going on here?"
But trust is one of those things that has to come into play when your carefully planned life
goes out the window.
When I was in college, I went down to visit my sister and brother-in-law,
Erica and Van in Southern California.
Van was the music pastor at their church and they were hosting a special night for the kids at the church where a Christian magician would be performing, using his illusions to illustrate the truth of God's word.
Van and I opened the service and sang a song that he had written:
Don't let your heart be troubled
Trust in the Lord
No need to fear tomorrow
Trust in the Lord
For He has good things for those who wait on him
So don't let your heart be troubled 
Trust in the Lord
I believe it was while singing the line of "don't let your heart be troubled" a second time,
that the magician's parrot did a fly by right  next to my head.
At the sound of rapidly flapping wings, I ducked to the side and my eyes went wide.
It was unnerving to say the least.
And I was more than a little troubled. I'm not going to lie.
But we just kept singing.
Because what else do you do when  a parrot is circling overhead?
And so it is with trusting...even when the unexpected comes up
or maybe it is especially when the unexpected comes up....
we keep trusting.
With hearts pounding....with eyes wide with surprise....and with fear edging in.....
we turn the to One who has seen it all.
The One who has conquered fear and death.
The One who makes paths straight and calms hurricane winds.
And we say one more time,
"I'm not sure what is up ahead...I'm feeling more than a little nervous right now...
but more than anything...I am going to choose to trust you.
I believe that you are in control and that you are going to take care of me."
And the best part is?
He will.