I’ll never look at that plastic blue dustpan the same way again.

It was early Saturday morning. I was sitting on my couch thinking about the upcoming day. My houseguest was still asleep, but I was planning our time of sightseeing and fun around town. I looked out to the porch and saw some leaves that should be swept up, so I went to get my little blue dustpan from the hall closet. I hardly ever go in that closet. It’s not really a closet. It holds the air conditioner and the hot water heater. And my dustpan.

The dustpan God used to show me how He watches over me.

The dustpan was wet. And that’s when I looked down and saw about an inch of water in the pan under the hot water heater. I don’t know much about home emergencies, but I know that a leaking hot water heater is one of them. If I hadn’t seen the leaves on the porch, if I hadn’t decided to go get the dustpan so I could sweep them up, there’s a very good chance my apartment would have been flooded by the time we got back from sightseeing, and there’s a very good chance the lady who lives downstairs would have been very unhappy with me.

Some might say it was just fortunate coincidence that I went to get the little blue dustpan. But I think that so many things we write off as fortunate coincidences are really little acts of God in our lives. They probably happen everyday, but we just aren’t looking for them. I think God allowed me to see the leaves that needed to be swept up. Then He pointed me in the direction of the hall closet and the water and the potential disaster.

Sometimes bad things do happen and He works through those circumstances as well. Sometimes hot water heaters rupture before the leaks are found. But this time, mine didn’t. And even though I had to replace it and I went through every towel in my house to prevent the water from overflowing, I smiled to think how God watches over me.

And I’ll be reminded of that every time I get the little blue dustpan out of that closet.

You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me. Psalm 139:5

For His eyes are on the ways of man,
And He sees all his steps. Job 34:21