Squint and you might see God.

When I came home from work the other day, I had two unpleasant facts to deal with, one known and one a surprise. I expected the house to be empty, since my wife and children were still on vacation away from me. What I didn’t expect was a broken air conditioner.

Since it was already late, I suffered through the heat until morning and called for a repair. By that evening, I had civilized temperatures again. Of course, part of my reaction to all this was to be grateful for normally having cold air and to remember what life is like for billions of people around the world; things easy to forget.

But during that one night of unpleasantness, I realized something else. Although I missed my family, I was glad they weren’t there. Given the choice of either my whole family suffering or only myself, I definitely prefer what did in fact happen.

So, thank you, God, that the unit didn’t break while we were all gone or while we were all here, but precisely in that small window between the two. Sometimes God’s masterful providence only appears when you squint to find it.