Trust

 

I went to see Peter Pan with my 10-year-old friend, Caius, a couple of weeks ago.

On our way to the show, Caius sat in the backseat and

Played a game on his Nintendo Switch,

Every once in awhile, he would chime in to tell his mom something about the game or

Answer a question that one of us asked.

But mostly, he just played.

 

At one point during the ride,

It started raining really hard.

Durham traffic stresses me on a non-rainy day,

So to say that I was stressed on a rainy-day is an understatement.

My hands were firmly on the steering wheel.

The windshield wipers were on high—

And that’s a big deal because I don’t like windshield wipers and

I don’t use them unless I must.

Cars were going slow.

I was trying to merge.

I had stopped talking.

And meanwhile Caius was happily humming along,

Completely unaware of the danger of the storm.

 

I remember looking back at Caius and thinking,

“He has total faith in me at this moment.

He has no reason to think that anything could go wrong.

He has no worries at all.

He’s perfectly content.

Boy, do I wish I had his level of trust!”

 

As adults, it’s hard to put our trust in others.

We’ve been injured too many times,

By too many people,

Under too many circumstances,

To blindly trust many people in life,

Especially when it means relinquishing control.

 

But trust is exactly what God asks us to do

When God speaks through the writer of Proverbs:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge God,

And God will direct your paths.”

 

And how does God work in this world?

God works primarily through people.

 

No. We can’t trust everyone.

But we can trust some.

 

Caius trusted me in the middle of a literal storm.

Who do you trust in the middle of your life’s storms?

 

Say a prayer of thanksgiving for them now…

And then write them and tell them you love them…

In whatever way feels comfortable for you.

 

Amen.