Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? Hebrews 1:14
I’m one of those sappy people who LOVES a feel-good movie. So at Christmas time, I develop an extreme addiction to the Hallmark Channel. They have at least four to five of these movies a day, all with beautiful people, all with happy endings. There’s usually just two story lines, both of which you can predict the ending of within three minutes of its start. Either the lead character has lost their way and has buried their loneliness in the pursuit of success and consumerism, or they’ve lost their loved one and are buried under grief. One formula to reach the happy ending is the perfect match comes along and redeems them through love.
But my favorite formula is when it’s an angel that leads them to the happy ending. In this scenario, the angel takes on a human form. Then, slowly, with small acts of kindness and gentle guidance, they lead the person to love.
When I wrote a post a few weeks ago about my mom, my friend commented that my mom is one of those “angels on earth.” It got me thinking. And I guess because I’ve been watching too many Hallmark movies, my thoughts took on the form of a movie…
In the movie in my head, I envision all these angels standing before God. They are completely confused because they have no idea they are angels. God is reviewing their lives, showing them their time on earth. He stops rolling the film at each and every juncture in their journey where they either chose to be selfish, or chose to help someone.
The ones who chose to be selfish are the most confused, because, mixed in to their emotions is extreme embarrassment. Here they are, standing before God, and they’re witnessing those moments in their lives where it would have cost them next to nothing to help someone else, but they preferred not to.
“But I didn’t know I was an angel,” each one cries to God, trying to excuse his or her behavior. “Had I known, I would have tried harder. Had I known I was an angel, I would have done it differently. Really, God, I would have.” God responds very simply, “Every person on earth was sent to be an angel.”
That’s where the little movie in my head ends because I think that’s the point God wants to make with me too. We all have the potential to be angels here on earth, like my mom. We just have to follow her lead and choose to help others over selfishness.
We just have to try harder, focus more on what really matters. I’m not talking about the big stuff. I truly believe the majority of us are innately good, and would choose to help in a crisis.
I’m talking about the little stuff: looking people in the eye when they’re talking, taking the time to really listen, letting people know they matter, putting that kind thought into words, noticing changes in people and telling them so. True, the small kindnesses are just a drop in the bucket. But when that drop is given with love and good intentions, it ripples out and multiplies through our individual worlds. It’s the small acts of kindness that plant seeds, cause people to make subtle changes, inspire people to pay it forward.
Although Christmas is supposed to be about the birth of Jesus, the focus seems to be more on gifts and angels these days. Here’s a crazy thought: Maybe it’s supposed to be, we just haven’t finished connecting the dots. Maybe the best gift we can all give Jesus is to become angels on earth, gifting ourselves to others.
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Shifting My Perspective 
Today I was put to the test by someone who treated me in a very unkind way when I made an honest and simple mistake. Despite my sincere apology and the kindness I have always showed this person, she dismissed me in a very rude manor twice. This left me feeling so sad and empty but instead of dwelling on those sad emotions and retaliating in a negative way, I heard God whisper to walk with kindness. I decided to put myself in her shoes and think of why she is so unhappy.
It was hard to go ahead with the Christmas gesture we had planned for this individual after the way I had been treated but I thought that she, more than most, needed a bit of Christmas cheer. Our gesture was received in a positive light and though she was still very guarded, I saw her smile for the first time in months. It is important to remember that there are many people suffering this time of year and we need to be more like an Angel in those moments that test us.
Great post Claire!
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Well played Jess! It sounds like you earned your halo today and made someone’s Christmas merry and bright. Whoever she is, she’s lucky to have you in her life. 🙂
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And what a BEAUTIFUL picture of J!!!
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This is her costume for her first ever Christmas pageant! So exciting!
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This is one of my favorite posts. Everyone is dealing with something we may or may not know about. Some handle it better than others. The ones who don’t handle it well are the ones who need the angels most, but they are the ones we are least likely to want to help. You are always so good at making people feel good about themselves and offering help. Dominik and I were just discussing “examining our conscience” tonight at dinner – definitely choosing to be the angel is the right way to go. Thanks for being a great example of this and reinforcing what we already know, but sometimes forget about.
And Jess, how lucky your friend is indeed!
I love the costume too!! So beautiful!!!!
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I love your point, Pam, about how the ones who aren’t handling their struggles well are the ones we are least likely to want to help – yet they need it the most. I am going to try and keep that point front and center, especially in these days leading up to Christmas. Thanks so much for that!
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Wonderful thought, especially at Christmas time. Yesterday, I was on my way home after a long shift at the plant. A man’s tailgate on his covered pick up had fallen open. I saw that he had a lot of tools in the back. It was a contractor vehicle. I tried to catch up to him but there was too much traffic in the way. My turn was coming up and I said to myself ” well I hope he does not lose anything “. I thought about it and asked myself how much effort would it take to keep on going and flag him down when I got the chance ? , which is what I did. He was very appreciative and in the process it made me feel good. I lost some time at home but gained a good feeling that I just thought about again after reading your post. At a total cost of maybe 5 minutes. Thank you Claire. I will try to to be a better ” Angel ” everyday. Merry Christmas !!!
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Paul, this is a WONDERFUL story – and a perfect example of being an “Angel on Earth!” I’m sure your act of kindness will have the ripple effect of inspiring this man to pay it forward. What an amazing chain reaction you have set in place at a perfect time of year. Yes, this is a crazy busy time, but taking the time to help others is the greatest gift you can give God for the birth of His Son. Thank you SO much for sharing this!!! Merry Christmas!
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