Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust weighs heavy on my heart this year. Where to begin? My growing up years did not lack for trust. I felt secure and confident in my family, with friends, at school, in sports. Life was good, full of challenges and fun. Innocence reigned. Of course we mourned the deaths of grandparents but they were old, or so it seemed. As a nursing student I was no stranger to illness. I just never figured it would come to my house. 

So when my mother was diagnosed with colon cancer and died within the year at the age of 53, it threw me for a loop. I missed her terribly. All those fun mother-daughter things flew out the window, all those afternoon cups of tea, all the pre-wedding planning, all the baby stuff—gone in a final breath! My dad and my brother were okay, but I wanted my mother. 

I blamed God, relegating Him to the heavenlies. Sure, He was God and He was holy; but if He didn’t care about my mom, what could I trust Him with? I’d be just fine on my own.   

Challenges occurred in our family—some serious as friends tried to set my dad up with dates; some funny like the first Christmas turkey my dad and I tried to cook. He liked his stuffing dry. Before I could reach for the paper towels, he had wiped out the inside of the bird with a pretty tea towel. Yuck! Can’t say it didn’t do the trick better than my method though. We put the roasting pan in the oven and went out to visit. When we returned to the apartment, smells galore wafted through the halls but none from our kitchen. We’d inadvertently set the oven to come on at midnight.  

 As you can see, my first encounter with trust was monumental due to my profound ignorance of the true nature of God. After fourteen years of self-reliance we fortunately moved from Canada to the Bible belt and were discipled by a wise friend. I cherish that one aha! moment when I realized that death only makes sense in light of eternity. Now I trust in the LORD above all people, events, and things.

Nancy P