Is He an Angel?

The Image of an Angel

Many years ago, a ten year old daughter of a close friend told her mom she had seen an angel outside her bedroom window on three different occasions. The angel always looked the same, blonde hair, soft features and white flowing dress. I suppose that is what could be called a typical appearance.

I always believed that she did indeed see the angel. I know children often make up stories, but knowing this little girl the way I did, I had no doubt she was telling the truth.

What is an Angel?

The word “angel” comes from the Greek word aggelos, which means messenger. Angels are spirits without bodies, who possess superior intelligence and surpassing holiness. They are the essence of love and joy.

Angels serve all and love without condition or judgement. They can take on a variety of forms. Throughout the Bible, they are described as not only taking on the appearance of men but many fantastical forms, such as that of a burning bush.

The Bible indicates that angels constantly carry out God’s bidding, yet most people are not aware of ever seeing an angel. The Bible does not explain how spirit beings can assume bodies. It simply teaches that they do and that we do not recognize them as angels because they look like ordinary people. This is to keep from frightening us.

Guardian Angels

What is a Guardian Angel? Throughout time, it is believed that guardian angels were assigned to each person for life, to care for and protect that person for a lifetime. Your guardian angel may be constantly praying for you, asking God to help you even when you are not aware that an angel is interceding in prayer on your behalf.

Psalm 91:11 reads “For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”

Does one have to believe for this guardian angel to ‘work’ properly? If you don’t believe, does this mean you won’t be guarded or protected?

In one of my previous works, “It’ll Work Out, the Power of Faith and Positive Thinking,” I admit that there was a time in my life that I didn’t know how to pray. I believed in God and had faith, but only in bits and pieces.

Thankfully, that no longer holds true. I have learned how to pray, and do so regularly. I have learned so much about faith, and I am still learning every day.

Today was certainly a learning day for me. This is one day I will remember for many years to come. Let me tell you why.

I work part time in retail sales. I make commission so certainly I want to work more hours for opportunities to make more money. I struggle pay day to pay day. Recently, things have been more difficult and there have been a couple of days when I had to call in and take a day off because I didn’t have gas money.

Please understand, I don’t ‘blow’ my money. I don’t smoke, I don’t go to the nail salon and I don’t have new clothes. I own one pair of athletic shoes, one pair of boots and three pair of flip flops. Literally. I have friends on facebook who talk about having 300 pair of shoes. I cannot imagine!

Today I was off of work, at home doing laundry. I was worried about upcoming rent being due. My pantry is bare and my wallet is empty. I was worried sick. I was doing my chores and crying, trying not to worry. But it’s difficult sometimes.

I wasn’t feeling sorry for myself, I’ve already made that mistake. I was worried mostly about rent and how I would pay it. I paused over the washer and dryer, took a deep breath and said a silent prayer. Then I continued with my day.

After putting the laundry into the dryer, I went back to my computer and decided to job search, again. I opened up the site for the Texas Workforce Center and logged in. I clicked on ‘match my jobs’ and was ecstatic at what I saw. I clicked, called, updated my resume and applied for a position at the Workforce Center itself. I have a good feeling about this.

In the middle of my application process, I hear a vehicle pull up in my driveway. I peek out and see my boyfriend, Billy and his brother. I run into the bathroom to take my hair down and freshen my breath. When I go back to the main living area, Billy and his brother are there, putting bags of groceries on the kitchen counter.

I stand there, hands on hips, unable to speak. It takes all my will power to not break down in tears. All the while, my tearful laundry episode and my silent prayer are running through my mind. When I finally find the courage to speak, I asked Billy “How did you know?” He just smiled with that confident eye and he said, “I just knew!”

Now, I have absolutely no doubt in my mind how he knew. I said a prayer and God told Billy to come take care of me.

Billy is an awesome human being. He is kind and considerate, gentle and loving. He always puts other before himself. He is a contractor and hasn’t worked in over a week, but he shared what he had with me and took time from his day to bring food to my home.

How it all began

When Billy was about 17 years old, he had a younger sister. She had gone to a friend’s house and it was his responsibility to pick her up and bring her home. He didn’t make it there in time and she chose to ride home in the back of a pick up truck. There was an accident and his sister died that day, at 14 years old.

For a long time he blamed himself. He was torn with guilt. His mother was a very spiritual person and she guided her son through these tough times. Billy began reading the Bible again and his faith returned. He knows his sister’s passing was not his fault, he knows there is always a plan. He’s read the Bible through several times and does his best to live by the Book. He’s told me that he has heard God’s voice on several different occasions. He explained that he knew right away who was speaking to him. God’s voice was the deciding factor in Billy coming to realize he was not at fault in his sister’s death.

Since knowing him, I have seen things happen that make me believe he is more than just a man. For example, on one occasion Billy and I, along with my daughter and several of her friends had piled into his pickup to go just down the road to the convenience store. We lived in a rural area on a dirt road. To get to the store, we had to travel two miles on the highway where the speed limit was 70 mph. The boys, who ranged in age 15-18, sat in the back of the truck. Billy promised to go slow so they would be safe.

So, we take off down the dirt road and Billy looks into the rearview mirror and notices one of the boys leaning on the tailgate of the truck. He pulled over and asked the boy to sit close to the cab to be safe. The boy scooted up and we proceeded out onto the highway. No sooner than the truck was on the highway and picking up a little speed, the tailgate flew open!! We pulled over again and Billy closed the tailgate and got back into the truck.

Every single passenger in the pickup knew what had just happened. We were all dumbstruck, to say the least. The boy who had been leaning on the tailgate, gave Billy a big hug and thanked him for making him move. And all Billy could do was shrug and say “I had a feeling.”

This story cannot even begin to emphasize the aura this man has. He is a simple country boy who loves to fish. He’s laid back, down to earth and honest as a summer day is long. He loves his cold beer on the weekends and he loves to dance. I am blessed because he is crazy about me and treats me like I’m his angel.

Is he an angel?

I don’t know if a guardian angel can come to someone at a later time in life, or if they are always there in some form. Maybe the belief has to be there before the protection of the angel can be seen.

I do know that since Billy has been in my life, I have seen things as never before. I have learned about faith and I have learned to pray. I have seen my prayers be answered time and time again. Yes, I struggle financially, but through most of it, I manage to hold my head up and be happy.

Is he my guardian angel? Is it possible that he is but I didn’t see him until I had the faith and belief that it was possible? Common sense says no, he’s just a man. But my heart speaks much louder than common sense and I do believe he is my Guardian Angel.