I arrived home late on Thursday from a trip to Southeast Asia. I had the opportunity to visit and serve in Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines. My expectation upon arriving home was to recover a bit from a plus fourteen hour time induced jet lag. Sunday was coming and I was looking forward to being back with my church family with great anticipation.

At the end of the week we took our beloved dog Frazier to the veterinarian. Frazier epitomized what it means to be a loyal companion and canine friend to our family for more than a decade. We rescued him from Frazier’s Bottom, West Virginia. Hence the name he was given. He had not been acting right as of late, and had a terrible infection in his ear canal. As it turned out, it was likely cancer and not something he could recover from because of his overall health condition. We lost our dear friend on Saturday. We pushed forward and I was still anticipating Sunday coming.

I awoke early Sunday and looked out the window to see a covering of snow on the ground. The timing of it was challenging because the temperatures dropped from the 50s on Saturday night to below 20 on Sunday morning. The rain that came through froze on the ground, and snow fell on top of it creating hazardous conditions on the road at the wrong time for church. Added to this is the fact that our church is located on a high hill and exposed to the elements. I made my way to the church in my truck and found unsafe conditions on the way to, and at the church. We made the difficult decision to cancel Sunday Services to be on the safe side. I was disappointed.

Life continually brings the unexpected. I think it is healthy to expect the unexpected. Not in a fearful way but in a realistic way. Our plans are often diverted. These diversions are opportunities to trust God more. If we praise Him when things go our way we must also praise him in challenging circumstances. I know this- God is in control and He has our best interests in mind. What I cannot see, He can always see. There is no such thing as “the unexpected” to God. While we expect the unexpected, we must trust in the One who is never surprised.