Yes, I had an encounter with an angel.
(And that folks, is the shortest of hooks. But I have you engaged, don’t I?)
My Experience with an Angel
As I was living in a neighboring town, for college I attended the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. It was a great school and a tight knit campus. Those four years were filled with hard work, but also great fun, independence, and personal growth.
While in my late teens, I still had much to learn about character and life. Looking back, I have a have a hard time recognizing myself in who I used to be. I have changed so much.
I was passionate about life and relationships. Energy seemed to flow through me, smiles and perkiness wherever I went. I read my Bible daily, my faith was strong, and with it came a tremendous sense of hope and goodness in the world around me.
I was very naïve. But that is youth. And thank God for our times of being young. Living with unbridled hope and dreams, a person can really find the strength to push forward in this world, to establish a place for themselves. A future.
One personal character trait I admired about myself at the time, was the light of Christ living inside of me. I was constantly using my eyes to shine the light of God forward into a dark world. I believed through the eyes one’s soul could be seen. And boy, did my soul sparkle.
Growing up in the church, we were taught the song, “This Little Light of Mine,” and for some reason, it remained important to me that this light be evident in my face.
I wanted others to see Jesus in me. It was important to me.
I was important to me that others see the Light of Hope living in me.
I can’t say it was a conscious effort. It simply became a part of who I was.
The Encounter
One bright morning, as the snow glistened in the morning sunlight, I walked to the campus post office to retrieve my mail.
Everything was normal. Students and staff were coming and going. There was nothing unusual about the flow of activity in the building.
As I was leaving the building, I noticed a man standing near the doors on the inside.
It was quite unusual, as this was not a typical place where people stood for any purpose. Also, he was not a person I had ever seen before on campus. But there he was handing out little books of the Gospel of John.
As I approached the doors to leave, he handed one to me.
I remember saying, “I just finished reading this book last night! Please give this to the next person.”
His reply was simple, kind and warming.
“Yes, I can see the Light of Him in your eyes.”
As a young naive girl, I didn’t think anything of it until……ten seconds later. As I was walking away from the building I stopped dead in my tracks. My brain finally said, “Ummm, ok dummy. You know what that was don’t you?!”
Wait.
I know what that was.
Turning around faster than my chubby little legs could carry me, I flew back to the same spot inside the door. The man was gone. There was no sign of him, anywhere. Since the time I first walked out of the building, no one had come or left. All the other offices were closed. There was no one around, no one at all.
And then I knew.
That was an angel. He had been sent to encourage me. Sent to encourage me and I didn’t even realize it. I don’t even remember if I thanked him. What a completely ordinary, out of the ordinary, special moment.
God Values Encouragement
Many times, in my life, I have looked back at that moment.
God cared about me so much that He sent a messenger to encourage me. That one word of encouragement not only encourage me then but also encouraged me going forward into my future.
It also taught me something about how much God values encouragement; how a simple act of speaking a few words of hope and kindness can reach deeply into another person’s life, sometimes lasting a lifetime.
A word of hope can change a day.
A word of kindness can change a life.
And perhaps, in ways we will never know, it can even change the world.
The Eyes
The eyes are a window to the soul. There is something about looking into a person’s eyes. In this one act many times we can determine if someone is lying to us. We can guestimate how they are feeling. And often eye language can be a whole means of communication. All without uttering a single word.
What’s truly funny is, it is the same for animals. Perhaps they know something we don’t. So much can be discovered about your pet by looking at them in the eyes. And why is it that some animals won’t let you look at them in the eyes? Why do some take it as a sign of aggression? There is something more to this that I can’t explain.
But the meaning is real and deep.
If the light of Christ is truly living within us, shouldn’t some of that light be visible to the people we encounter? Shouldn’t our hope, our kindness, and our love, all which He so readily provides us, leave some impression on the people who pass through our lives?
We may never know what someone else is carrying.
We may never know how badly they need a kind word.
And we may never know when God is using us to give someone a little encouragement at exactly the right moment.
So, keep that light burning, honey.
Holding onto the Light
Today I find it rather depressing that the light in my eyes, once noticed by an angel of the Lord, has been, let’s say….. dramatically reduced.
My heart is heavy with the burdens I carry. Scars that are still open and unhealed. There are still things that are difficult for me to think about without crying. Lasting sorrow for a broken heart.
But part of my healing going forward is learning to reclaim that light. For I know, in the end all things we have endured in the darkness will one day be burned away. Only leaving behind the light. That will be a good day.
There are moments now, when a different kind of light burns within me. When I worship in song using my whole heart, when I pray intensely for healing or hope for the world, and when I pray for the welfare of others. In those times I feel a light encompass my whole body. Like an aura. I can’t explain it. But somehow, through my soul I can see it.
Life is a constant struggle, darling.
We never quite arrive at some final moment of perfection where everything is suddenly easy.
We simply keep walking, healing, believing.
And we keep striving for the Light.
My Prayer for You
As you grow, my prayer for you is that you are able to keep that light strong.
Let it burn brightly.
When the attacks come duck, but don’t let them diminish your light.
When life hurts, don’t believe that the light is gone simply because you can’t see it as clearly as you once did.
Sometimes, it’s just suppressed.
Light can burn beneath the ashes.
Darkness may linger, but it can never withstand the light forever.
The moment the light enters, the darkness begins to disappear.
One small light in this world is enough to begin erasing the darkness.
So, hold onto that Light, darling.
Let it shine.
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