Be an Angel

It’s been at least five and probably more years since I’ve had a new cell phone. The antique I’d been carrying around had outlived its ability to maintain a charge for more than just a couple of hours. And so, my husband graciously bought me a new phone for an early Christmas gift—blue tooth and all.

Well, technology has changed quite a bit in the past five years! The person who sold us the phone said he actually took a class on how to use this model. A course! On this model alone! As you can imagine, I’ve yet to make it through the mini-encyclopedia of instruction for the use of my new toys. Last night, I charged both phone and blue tooth to prepare for this morning’s trek into the leavings of about eight inches of snow from yesterday’s storm.

As I left the house, I fumbled with the phone and blue tooth to get them sync’d. The car was cleaned off, but the driveway was a mess! My neighbor and his son kindly pushed the car over the mounds of snow left by the plow, and I proceeded cautiously up the snow coated street, and then up the side road/ramp to the highway. That’s where I was when my phone rang! Dang blue tooth still wasn’t sync’d! I reached for the phone—a legal and logistic no-no. The tires spun helplessly in the wet pile of snow between the entrance and exit sides of the ramp. I put the transmission into reverse, and rolled/slid to the wrong side of the street, the back bumper inches away from the guard rail. Now I was really stuck! No forward or reverse motion would move the vehicle an inch! I sat wondering, “Now what?”

Several cars exited the highway and passed on my right to get around the car. In a matter of moments, a man appeared wearing an orange hooded coat with his union advertised on the back in black lettering, and a large shovel in hand. He looked at the situation and declared in an Italian accent, “You’re really stuck!” He didn’t wait for my response. He began to dig each tire out of the muck with great care. After a good ten minutes of doing so, he walked back to his car and reappeared with a bucket of salt, and began to sprinkle it in front and back of each tire.
At this point, I said to him, “It’s like you’re an angel!” He laughed shyly and just kept working. When he finished with the salt, he came to my window and told me how to “carefully” maneuver my way out. Fearing I might undo all his work or end up with hitting the guard rail, I asked if he would mind getting the car out, and lifted the keys to him.

He smiled again, and without a word, took the keys and drove the car onto the merge ramp of the highway. He got out of my car, handed me the keys and gave a kind warning to drive slowly and carefully! I reached out, gave him a big hug, and pronounced a blessing on him for his great kindness. He reciprocated the hug shyly, same smile on his lips, and went on his way.
I prayed for him for most of the drive. I prayed that he would receive 100-fold blessing. And then, I wondered why there are so few who would go so out of their way for a stranger.

As children of the King who have been given so much, we need to look for such opportunities to bless someone. To give as it has been given to us. This is the life of worship--to be the hand and heart of Jesus to the world. And this does not necessarily mean we need to go on the mission field, have a tent revival, or stage great evangelistic outreaches unless that is what God’s call is for us.

Check out the mission field you are standing on. Whenever you have an opportunity, encourage a child. Put a smile on a stranger’s face. Help an elderly person with their packages. Have a kind word for an obviously frustrated and overworked employee of a store you are shopping in. Give an anonymous gift to someone. Send someone a card just to say you were thinking of them. Or help a stranded person whose car is stuck in a snow bank! Ask the Lord for opportunities for “words of gold in settings of silver.” (Prov. 25:11) Tell Him that if He opens the door for an opportunity to bless someone, you’ll walk through, and then watch those doors swing open.

Today, God sent to me a sweet, Italian angel. I want to encourage you, go and be someone’s angel. I promise you, you will go away uplifted, and you may never know whom you may meet and how you may effect someone’s eternity!

Comments

  1. Ok. This is my third attempt to send a comment on this blog. Hopefully this one will work. If it doesn't you will not even be able to see me complaining that this is my third attempt. As I mentioned it is my third attempt. ;D
    Anyway, I can truly understand the need for angels. I witnessed one myself Friday night. I was traveling home from work over an icy and snow filled highway. Got caught in one of those snow drifts myself. But of course God took over and got me out of it. Praise God. On my travel north and moving ever sooooo slowly...there was a man helping a couple manuveur their car out of yet another snow drift. I watched him as he and the male owner of the car pushed from the rear until the car finally was free and moving forward. The younger man thanked the other and managed to get back into traffic. The older man got into his van and also got into the steadily, but slow moving traffic. About two miles later, I saw the same man helping another stuck owner whose car was in another unforgiving snow drift. I watched the man again and then further down the road again until I had to exit. I thought what a wonderful person he was to be simply helping people to get out of what would been an all night ordeal if he had not come along. He was an angel I want to believe to many along his way home...and I pray that God will bless him 100 fold for his efforts. I too wish there were many more like him. And in the same light I hope and pray that those snow drift along this man's way were thankful that he did come along. I hear too many stories, and one most recently where a woman who's co-worker pulled her from burning vehicle is being suing him for making her a paraplegic. Her comment is that he should have left her until the emergency vehicles came. Very difficult situation to be in, don't you think? I feel for the co-worker because he was willing to save a life and really needs prayers for vindication. I also pray that it will not change his mind about helping someone else if the opportunity comes along.

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  2. I know that situation wasn't funny while you were "stuck" in it, but your way of describing it was. "'You're really stuck'..He didn't wait for my response..". Yeah, this is spot on in a profoundly simple way. It's all about works of love. That's the revival that's coming - that true 1st and 2nd commandments revival. So much to say about this but, really, what you depicted is really what it's all about. We are free to love!

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  3. I open my heart to receive the aid of angels and to minister the aid of an angel to others as the Lord directs. I thank God that Kathy has been like a ministering angel to me.

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