The lazy days of summer were winding down, and I was anxious for the new school year to begin. I always liked to come into my elementary school art classroom a couple of weeks before the first day to get things ready for the kids.
You could hear a pin drop in the quiet halls. My mind wandered among all the new projects and ideas I had for the coming year. Thank you, God, for this time alone to work hard and prepare.
This year I planned to teach world cultures through art. I sorted my supplies into large copy-paper boxes, letting my imagination run wild with each item I picked up.
Coffee cans covered with fabric could make drums. Big sheets of colorful cardboard would be perfect for African masks. Old paper rolls could be transformed into tribal staffs with some feathers and beads. The beads would also make great Egyptian necklaces. Of course we’d have to make pyramids too! The possibilities were endless.
All done, I carried the not-too-heavy boxes over to the tall shelf where I store my supplies. I can lift these by myself, I thought. No need to bug the custodians. They were busy too, cleaning the school and doing last-minute repairs.
I dragged two chairs from the students’ desks and arranged them side by side against the shelf. With one foot on each chair I hoisted the boxes. Back and forth I stepped, using the chairs as if they were a platform. I positioned the boxes in stacks till they nearly reached the ceiling.
One of the boxes jutted out a bit. Neatness counts! I thought. I reached to straighten it. Almost…only a touch more.
My fingertips just barely brushed against the out-of-place box. My foot slipped between the chairs. I couldn’t catch myself! My eyes squeezed shut in fear. Surely I’d sprain an ankle, break my leg or worse! God, please soften my fall….
A second later I was sitting in one of the chairs, amazed not to be sprawled out on the floor as I should have been. I sat there wondering, How? There was no logical way I could have fallen into this position, especially when I had been facing the opposite direction! I looked myself over. Except for a sore arm, I was fine. As if an angel had caught me.
There was still work to finish: decorating, checking the paint sets to see if they had dried out. I moved on to my next task, knowing I wasn’t the only one working hard in the art room that day.
Read more stories about heavenly angels and angels on earth.
