Ordinary Days and God’s Providence

JUST AN ORDINARY DAY.

It was a Tuesday. Just an ordinary day. I was 16. As evening approached, my dad asked me if I wanted to go with him for a boat ride. Now, my brother and I enjoyed very much going over to the river where my family kept a boat, to water ski. However, when my parents went out evenings to cruise up and down the river, my reaction as a teenager was, “Boring.”

So when my dad asked if I wanted to go for a boat ride, my initial response was, “No thanks.” I was sure I had something better to do. But, when I thought about it, I realized I really didn’t have anything better to do, so I changed my mind and told Dad I would go.

At the same time, neither of us knew that across town, a young man named Doug helped his uncle repair the motor of his uncle’s boat. The repair completed, Uncle Dick asked Doug if he wanted to go over to the river and check it out, to make sure everything was working right. Doug’s initial reaction was similar to mine. Surely he had something better to do with his time than spend the evening with his uncle going for a boat ride. But then, he decided he really didn’t have anything better to do at the moment, and may as well go with him.

Uncle Dick recognized my dad across the water, and challenged us to a race. After Dad and I won the race, we went back to the marina for some refreshments. And I met Doug.

Doug was going into his junior year of college. I was going into my junior year of high school. If he knew how young I was, he would not have asked me out on a date. If I had known how old he was, I wouldn’t have gone.

But the night I met him I wore my class ring. Doug had graduated from the same high school I attended. Since class rings were acquired during the senior year he assumed I had graduated. What he didn’t know is that our class decided, considering the expense, we would get the rings our sophomore year and enjoy them through the rest of our high school years. By the time Doug and I figured out the age difference, it no longer mattered to either of us. We were married two years later.

It is my understanding there is no word in the Hebrew language for “coincidence.” God is sovereign. He orchestrates times and circumstances. There are no coincidences. We always felt our meeting the way we did was an example of God’s providence. It was just an ordinary day, but it was a divine appointment.

Doug and I celebrate another anniversary this week. I am thankful for every day.

Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father . . .     James 1:17 NLT

How have you seen God turn an ordinary day into a divine appointment? Please leave a comment below.

Blessings,
Phyllis

© 2026 Phyllis L. Farringer

Image by László from Pixabay