“Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits
me here, ever this day be at my side, to light, to guard, to rule, and to
guide. Amen,” Theodore intoned alongside his mother as he knelt beside his
bed. They then made the sign of the
cross, touching their forehead as they said, “In the name of the Father,” their
heart as they said, “and the Son,” touching their left shoulder as they said,
“and the Holy” and finishing by touching their right shoulder as they said,
“Spirit. Amen.”
“What prayers do you want to offer tonight, my Teddy Bear?”
his mother asked, kissing the top of his head as she gave him a hug.
“Dear God, please watch over my dad as he fights
overseas. Help my Grandpa feel better so
he doesn’t die. Please give my Grammy Jane
a hug and kiss from me, and tell her that I miss her. Please help my mom with her job, and help me
to be a strong man like my dad,” he said.
“You pray such good prayers, Teddy,” his mother told him as
he climbed into his bed and slipped under the covers.
“How long until Dad can come home?” he asked her just before
she turned out the light.
Her face lost its smile for a moment and a sad look came
into her eyes. “I’m not sure, Teddy
Bear. We just have to keep praying for
an end to the war,” she told him.
“Remember that Jesus has promised that when two or more of us gather in
his name to ask anything at all, God will grant it. We just have to hold on to our faith and keep
believing until he delivers. I love you,
sweetheart,” she said as she shut off the lights. “Sweet dreams,” she finished as she closed
the door behind her.
Theodore waited until he was sure she was gone and added
prayers that he hadn’t dared to say in front of his mother. “God, please don’t
let my mom get fired, and please help her not to worry so much. Please help us not to lose our house. Also, please help me to get to know my
Guardian Angel better. Thank you for listening, and please help me to take care
of my mom like my dad asked me to.” He
closed his eyes and was soon fast asleep.
Eli listened with great pride to Theodore’s humble prayers
and waited until the boy’s mother was gone to step from the shadows and take up
his position at the head of the boy’s bed.
He looked down at the innocent young face and was unable to control the
smile that spread across his face reflecting the spring of joy that welled in
his heart. He knew love for his brother
angels and love for God Almighty, but the love that he held for Theodore was
beyond words to explain.
On the day that Theodore had been conceived and God had
assigned him to be the boy’s guardian, Eli had accepted out of love for God
alone. That had been more than 10 years
ago. He could not have imagined the
challenges that would face him. It
didn’t seem possible that a single human being could get into so much trouble
in the passing of a single minute, let alone over the course of a lifetime, but
neither could he have anticipated how much fulfillment and delight the work
would bring him.
There were angels who found the thought of serving human
beings, whose lives were so brief and so prone to sin, as being beneath
them. Eli, though, took great pride in
his young charge’s progress. He could
not have put into words why, especially to those who had never served mankind
in this way. He had not understood God’s
fascination with these flawed beings until he had been assigned to
Theodore. He had accepted the assignment
merely out of obedience and gratitude. Quite often, though, he found his heart
swelling to bursting with a love he had not known was possible just looking at
Theodore. Now he understood why God
cared so much for these frail creatures, and he understood why God was willing
to sacrifice so much for the sake of them.
Tonight was a special night.
Tonight, Eli had been given permission to do something few Guardians
were ever allowed to do. Tonight, he had
been given permission by the Lord God Most High to introduce himself to
Theodore and to teach him directly about angels. It was a rare privilege, and came about only
because it was something Theodore had been praying for over the last six
weeks. It was an answer to Eli’s own
prayers, and something he had been working toward for years.
Eli pulled his trumpet out and blew. The horn was designed to be heard only by the
ears of the soul, and would do no damage to the boy’s physical ears. Theodore
stirred and then turned over but did not awaken. Eli blew the horn again, louder and longer
this time. Theodore muttered in his
sleep and stirred, but did not awaken.
Eli put the horn close to Theodore’s ear and blew it at full strength.
Theodore awoke with a start.
A soft but bright light gleamed from near his bed. He looked over and was startled to find a
tall man, at least he thought it must be a man because he didn’t see any
breasts, in a robe standing there. The
man’s face was kind and gentle. His hair
was to his shoulders, golden and with the slightest wave to it. Wings like a
bird sprouted from the man’s back, and he carried a golden horn in his hand.
“Who are you?” Theodore asked in amazement. “Am I dreaming?”
“You are not dreaming, young Theodore,” the man said. His voice was so beautiful, reminding Theodore
of a church bell in its tone and resonance. “My name is Eli, and I am your
guardian angel.”
Theodore’s mouth dropped open in astonishment. For six weeks he’d been praying every night
that God would allow him to meet his guardian angel, but this was better than
he’d ever imagined. He had so many
questions he wanted to ask the angel, so many things he wanted to know. He didn’t even know where to begin.
“It’s okay, Theodore, you can ask me any questions you like,”
he assured Theodore.
“Where do you live? How many of you are there? Are you all
guardians? What do you do? What do you eat? Why can’t we normally see you?” the
questions began to tumble from Theodore’s mouth in a flood. “What does heaven look like? What does God
look like?
”
”
Theodore might have continued except that the angel held up
a single hand.
“One question at a time,” Eli chuckled. “But before you begin to ask them, I have one
for you.”
Theodore looked at Eli in surprise. “A question for me?”
Eli smiled, “Yes. I
will teach you all about the angels, but there are two ways to teach. I can
tell you about them, or I can show them to you.
Would you like to see things for yourself?”
Theodore’s eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open. It was more than he had dared to ask. Then, he thought about his mom, and knew that
she would miss him if he were gone.
“My mom might get worried if she found me missing,” Theodore
told him.
Eli smiled again. “Do
not worry, Theodore, I would never cause your mother worry. I assure you, you will be back before she
knows you are gone.”
“Who will watch over her?” Theodore asked. “I’m supposed to be the man of the house, now
that dad’s not here.”
Eli knelt down so that he could look Theodore in the
eyes. Theodore noticed that his eyes
were the most beautiful shade of blue he had ever seen.
“It is a good man that makes sure to take care of those who
are left in his charge. Come, and I will
show you,” Eli told him, standing back up and holding out his hand.
Theodore slid out of bed and took Eli’s hand. Suddenly, he could see a host of angels
watching over their house. They carried
swords and shields and arrows, ready to do battle against any who might come
with evil intention.
“You see? Your mother is well protected. She will be safe while we are away,” Eli
reassured him. “Are you ready?”
Theodore nodded and put his hand in Eli’s. “I’m ready.”
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