Look for angels in your daily life
"Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unaware."
- Hebrews 13:2 (KJV)
Each Christmas when I display my 4-foot angel doll with her lovely burgundy and gold dress, it brings to mind the reality of angels.
Some people don't believe in them; they think they were created for TV, books and movies.
However, evangelist Billy Graham referred to them as "God's secret agents."
Angel encounters are woven throughout the pages of the Bible. It warns us that we need to be aware of them, because we may entertain a stranger who is actually an angel.
Some of our miraculous encounters may have left us wondering if we had been in the presence of an angel.
A story my friend told me some years ago left her pondering this. She explained, that she struggled to carry a couple of heavy suitcases up a hill to a hospital where her infant granddaughter had just been admitted in serious condition.
As she wrestled with the burden of her heavy heart and the weight of the bags, a man came out of nowhere and asked if he could help her carry them up the steep hill. Even though she was struggling, she didn't want to waste one precious moment, and declined his kind offer.
Step-by-step, her focus remained on reaching the top as quickly as she could. She recalls the man stuck by her side, conversing with her all the way; but doesn't remember anything he said.
Reaching the top, she turned to thank the man, but he was nowhere in sight. Then she realized she made it up the huge hill without even having an asthma attack. The encounter left her awestruck, and she believes she entertained an angel.
This time of the year, the Christmas carols marvel in the splendor of these spirit beings. Reflecting the Scriptures, the lyrics rejoice in the fact that angels had been sent to earth with a special mission to proclaim the good news of the birth of Christ, who came to forgive our sins and reconcile us to God.
On the clear, starlit night of Christ's birth, shepherds working the midnight shift were out in the field tending to their flocks of sheep. In a moment's time, a group of angels lit up the sky to inform them of the sacred event. At first, they were startled and frightened; but as the angels revealed the good news, they received it with joy.
Although we delight in the thought of angels helping us in our moments of desperation, I believe proclaiming the good news of the birth of Jesus Christ was the most important mission ever carried out by heaven's secret agents.
• Annettee Budzban is a Christian author, speaker, life coach and nurse. She can be contacted at annetteebudzban@aol.com or (847) 543-8413.