Guardian angels. They protect and guide us. And they can be anyone.

 

“Real ” Guardian Angels

When talking about guardian angels, you first must consider the “real” thing.

God created them. They don’t face the same physical constraints, like gravity, that humans do. They’re strong, and, unless God wants you to see them, they’re invisible.

I worked with a man in Valdez, Alaska, who knows that guardian angels—actual angels that protect us—are not only real but can perform miraculous feats. He learned this first-hand on March 27, 1964, when he was just a young boy.

Growing up in Alaska, he and the other town youth roamed the mountains, fished the clear waters of Prince William Sound, and played on its beaches. That day he was alone on a stretch of beach bordered by mountain cliffs. When the earthquake struck, he had one thought—get away from the water and do it fast.

He ran to the cliff and began climbing, but he knew he couldn’t climb fast enough. The tsunami would sweep him away.

But it didn’t. Because in an instant he found himself on top of the cliff with no memory of how he got there. Even if adrenaline had given him extra strength, he couldn’t have made the climb that fast. In his mind, there was only one explanation: His guardian angel flew him to safety.

Did You Know…

• The 1964 Alaskan earthquake is called the “Good Friday” Earthquake because it struck on Good Friday.
• At 9.2 magnitude, the 1964 Alaskan earthquake was the largest recorded in North America and the second-largest recorded (with modern instruments) in the world.
• Alaska’s earthquake-created tsunamis reached as high as 170 feet above sea level in some areas.

 

Animals

Animals often act as “guardian angels.” Think of the animals trained to be in service to humans. Dogs, cats, dolphins, and even rats have been trained to find the lost; act as guides; and sniff out bombs, drugs, and medical problems. Their actions protect the innocent.

However, animal guardian angels aren’t limited to the trained. Often untrained animals, many times the family pet, do the saving. The internet is full of reports of animals waking their owners when the house catches fire. Or protecting them from bullies or other aggressive animals. Pet dogs have rescued family members from drowning in the backyard pool, while wild dolphins have rescued people from drowning in the ocean. The world is full of animal guardian angels.

 

Regular People

Just as God can use animals as “guardian angels,” He can use regular people, too.

Recently, our air conditioner stopped working. (In Texas, that’s not good, regardless of whether it’s summer, spring, fall, or winter.) When our HVAC tech arrived, I talked to him as he worked on the system. (I am my father’s daughter, after all.) Though he’d come to Dad’s funeral, he offered his condolences again. He told me he’d always enjoyed listening to Dad’s stories while he worked. Then he shared a story I hadn’t heard before. He told me about being Dad’s guardian angel.

It happened several years ago. Dad was sitting in the backyard, as the tech worked on our system. He finished the job and left, only to realize when he reached the next job, that he’d left a tool he needed on our unit. He called Dad and told him he was on his way back to get it. When he arrived, Dad was still sitting in the yard. Together they went to retrieve the forgotten tool, then Dad walked him back to his truck. That’s when they heard a loud crack followed by a ground-shaking thud. They rushed back around the house and found the chair in which Dad had been sitting crushed under a huge tree limb.

Had he not forgotten his tool and returned to our house to get it, Dad wouldn’t have left that chair. And had he still been sitting there, the limb would, most likely, have killed him. At this realization, he looked at Dad and said, “Just call me your guardian angel.”

He told me Dad smiled and said. “You got that right.”

 

Final Thoughts

Being a guardian angel doesn’t refer only to the physical act of saving a life. A smile, a kind word, or a helping hand may seem inconsequential to you but may have considerable impact on the other person.

Remember the saying: “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted?” It’s true. And though you may never know it, your simple act of kindness may be as significant as pushing the person out of the path of a speeding car.

Kindness requires little effort—and, even better, it doesn’t usually involve danger. So be someone’s guardian angel. Anyone can do it.