Through the Eyes of an Angel

As a child, my mom had a picture of an angel above my bed. In front of the angel were two small frightened children attempting to cross a broken bridge over a raging river. But the heavenly angel was beside them, guiding them across. Maybe it’s because of that picture that I believe each of us has a guardian angel. Or maybe it’s because of what Jesus said to His disciples one day when some children were by His side, “Be sure you do not hate one of these little ones. I tell you, they have angels who are always looking into the face of My Father in heaven.” Matthew 18:10.

I wonder what my guardian angel looks like? Handsome, I’m sure! Very powerful, no doubt. Full of patience, has to be in order to have put up with me for these 50+ years. But more than that, I wonder what will be the first thing he says to me when I step into heaven? Remember, sin will be gone, all things made new - the glorious dawn of eternity! I can see his smile now. Like a loving parent eager to show his child all the wonderful toys under the Christmas tree. And then he will gently take me by the arm and introduce me to Jesus, face to face! Wow!!!

This picture of my first steps into heaven is important to me, because it takes the fear out of my last steps on earth. “And when my task on earth is done, when by Thy grace the vict’y’s won. Even death’s cold wave I will not flee, Since God thru Jordan leadeth me!”

Last week, one of my 7 team members, Sis. Cande, had surgery to remove a huge tumor from her pancreas. It was cancerous. The surgeon couldn’t get it all because the tumor had already penetrated nearby organs. He gave her a few months at best.

Cande is a lady of influence, a 60 year old servant of God who ministers like she was 30. For years she served as the secretary for the president of a large university in Iloilo. Then she served as the secretary for one of our city councilmen. She’s a widow, too. For years, she faithfully cared for her invalid husband who had suffered a debilitating stroke. In recent years, she started a sports uniform business that now employes 25 Christians.

She has given large amounts of money to needy people without ever letting them know where it came from. As part of our CPM team, she has won many people to the Lord and helped start several house groups and churches. She’s one of the directors of Blessings.ph, a ministry that seeks to be a channel of God’s blessings to needy Christians.

She doesn’t have a lot of money, because she has given so much away. Last week, she checked herself into the hospital as a service patient. You don’t get the best doctors or the best care. You are a benevolence case. Now, Cande is recovering in an unairconditioned noisy service ward, experiencing a lot of post-op pain, and having to face the reality of her condition.

I guess if I were God, there are other people I would choose to give the cancer to. Like to me! But not to her. From a human perspective, it just doesn’t make sense. Which is why my picture of the angel is so important.

What do you think were the thoughts of Cande’s guardian angel when he (or she?) first knew of Cande’s cancer, knowing that she would soon be coming ‘home’? How about her friends who are already there, eager to show Cande around in her fabulous new mansion? And how about God, who will be able to express His personal joy and gratefulness to His faithful child in a way that only a loving heavenly Father can do.

From human eyes, seeing Cande’s life painfully slip away in a hot, noisy, hospital service ward, just doesn’t look right. But from the eyes of her angel, the excitement is building, the party is being prepared, and the best is soon to come!