“Some people mistakenly refer to inexplicable, uncanny, timely, and/or especially appropriate happenings as coincidences. But Christians need to recognize them as God incidencesâ€, says Christianity Today.[1]
It was not a particularly warm evening in May that my wife Bev called me to tell me that a guest at her Bed and Breakfast inn just let an air conditioner fall out of the 3rd floor “Mansard Room” window (see arrow in picture). The Mansard Room, aptly named because of the mansard roof over it, is a roof that has four sloping sides, each of which becomes steeper halfway down.
Was it incredulous of me to think that anyone would open a window with a window air conditioner in it?
As she shared this account of the incident over the phone with me that night, I reacted loudly. “Are you kidding me?†I cried. Was this some kind of joke, but I knew it wasn’t because I could tell from the concern in her voice that she was telling me the truth.  And so the account is as follows.
She said that she heard a loud crash. Thinking it was just another automobile accident outside, she rushed outside with her hand readied on her phone to call 911. It was not uncommon for accidents to occur at the corner of the inn’s busy intersection. However, when she came running out of the house, she was confronted with something completely different. There were parts scattered all over the lawn.
It was 8:30 at night. A young 30-year old European guest came running from the inn, visibly terrified, mortified and upset, apologetic and offering to pay for damages, but my wife would hear nothing of it. She would decline the offer for remuneration, and rather than saying to the inn guest “whatever possessed you to open a window with an air conditioner in it?†she consoled her instead. The guest explained that she was just trying to get some fresh air into the room.  Now mind you, there are two windows in the room, one with an air conditioner in it, and the other without. Instead of opening the window without, the guest opened the window with the air conditioner in it.
As I read from Sarah Young’s devotional “Jesus Calling†the next morning (May 29th), God impressed upon me the “God Significance†of this event. Sarah Young wrote – “I am with you, watching over you constantly. I am Emmanuel (God with you).†Sarah Young continues writing in the first-person (I, Me, My) from God’s point of view —  “Accept every event as My hand-tailored provision for your needs …. find Me in every situationâ€.
View from the Mansard Room looking out the window at the garden below
The significance of where Bev was and what she was doing at the time of the incident is relevant to finding God in this situation. Different from almost every other night, Bev was ironing and doing laundry, perhaps rushing to get a room ready for a late check-in.  Normally, however, she would have gone out to water the garden around this time. It was dark by then, so she also would not have seen anything falling towards her. The garden area where Bev would have stood was also in the direct path of the falling air conditioner. The air conditioner came crashing to the ground with the sound of a car crash, sending shrapnel everywhere. If it were not for God’s protection, she would most likely have been struck by the falling air conditioner.  Fortunately, none of the guests were entering or exiting the inn at that time either.
Remains of the Mansard Room air conditioner
I have to believe that God sometimes uses God incidences like this as a tool for fulfilling His plans, to shake us up a bit and make us more mindful of Him, and also as a reminder that He is our protector, and that He is watching over us constantly.
“Whoever remains under the protection of the Almighty, can say to him,   “You are my defender and protector.   You are my God; in you I trust.â€[2]
Copyright 2015 by Bill Hutzel
FOOTNOTES
[1] Christianity Today, “Be on the Lookout for GodIncidencesâ€, April 10, 2012
[2] Psalm 91:1-2, Good News Translation
