Timing is Everything

This morning we finally got the spring rain we've been waiting for so long! As I left for work, I gave my umbrella to one of the kids, figuring they would need it worse than I. The rain seemed to be falling lightly as I drove, but approaching the parking lot near my work, the rain really started to come down hard. After parking the car, I took off my jacket and held it over my head as I raced down the sidewalk in the pouring rain. Of course, I missed the green light at the corner and was left standing there at the red light getting royally soaked.



As I waited for the traffic to pass, a tall fellow in a business suit and a very big umbrella arrived next to me on the corner. Having mercy on me, he said, “You can stand under this umbrella if you like.” I normally wouldn't have accepted but the rain was coming down in buckets and it seemed like an honourable offer.

“Oh thanks. I gave my umbrella to my kids this morning”, I chuckled, as I stuck my head a little ways under his umbrella. He said, “Timing is everything”. Not sure what he really meant by that, I just replied, “Hmm...ya”. It was a bit awkward sharing an umbrella with a complete stranger but I just kept my eyes on the road ahead of us for those few moments.

As the traffic cleared, I said “Thanks a lot. I'm going to make a run for it now” and I darted out into the street with my hands and jacket still over my head. Suddenly, I heard the man shout “Watch it!” so I glanced to my left just in time to see a white van coming toward me. Holding the jacket over my head had hindered my view and I hadn't seen it coming. I heard the umbrella man yell a second time, “Watch out!”. In that split second of time, feeling panicked and foolish all at the same time, I had to choose between racing forward or trying to run back. The driver of the van honked the horn. I ran forward with speed and just made it safely across the intersection. Too embarrassed to look back, I got indoors and out of the rain as fast as I could.

A short while later I emailed my mom telling her about the close call I'd had and how this umbrella man helped save my life. She responded with, “Maybe he was an angel?”. As I read her response I quietly gasped inside. It occurred to me that I had just asked God two days earlier to see an angel! You see, I've been fascinated with angels for quite some time and have periodically over the years asked God for the chance to see one, just out of curiosity. This week I had been thinking about it again. Could it be that God was waiting to answer my prayer until a time when I really needed an angel? Hmm......

I'll never know for sure if the umbrella man was an angel or just a real person, but I am sure that he was there by divine appointment to warn me of the danger I didn't see. Thank God!! It also makes me wonder about the potential significance of him saying, “Timing is everything”.