David’s Angel

by Ed Coet

conclusion

Meanwhile, back in the emergency room, David was levitating. He was floating in mid-air above his bed. He was curiously looking at himself lying there with a sheet over his head. David was able to see and hear everything that was going on. Nobody could see him.

At first he couldn’t understand why his body wasn’t moving or why his pain had left him. Then, as if out of nowhere, a bright light appeared. Out of that light a warm hand reached out to David. Then a full radiant angelic figure appeared.

“Who are you?” David asked.

“I am Elijah. I am your guardian angel, David. I have always been with you.”

Then another light appeared. Out of it came a beaming teenage girl. David cried out, ‘Becky, Becky, is that you? Can it really be...?” Then he paused to think. “Oh my God Becky, if I can see you than I must also be dead.”

“My dear brother,” Becky answered, “Listen carefully to Elijah. I want you to know that I’m all right. I’m even better than all right. I am happy and at peace here. I’ve been with grandma, grandpa, and Uncle Joe. They are happy and at peace as well. They send their love. You may come and join us when it is your time, but not a moment sooner. God must choose the time, not you.”

“Becky, I have so many questions.”

“In due time all your questions will be answered, David, but not now.”

“When Becky? When is the right time?

“That is God’s decision, David. Elijah will explain all you need to know for now. Tell Mom and Dad what you saw and what I told you. Tell them I love them. Remember David, I love you, too. I always have and I always will.” Then Becky vanished.

“Don’t worry David,” Elijah said. “When your time comes, you will be with Becky in heaven as she is now with you in spirit.”

“Then why am I here now?”

“Because God has been speaking to you, David. You haven’t been listening. You haven’t paid attention.”

“I don’t mean to be disrespectful, Elijah, but I don’t understand what you mean.”

“David, as you have already experienced, God has taken some rather drastic measures to get your attention.”

“Yes, I guess I’d have to agree that this is rather drastic. But why...?”

“Settle down David. What you need to know you will know, but nothing more.”

“Is all the suffering that I have had to endure going to be explained? What about the beating I just suffered? Why did that happen? Was that part of God’s drastic measures for me?”

“Not exactly. God doesn’t do evil things, but there is evil in the world in which you live. Sometimes bad things do happen to good people. Don’t forget that one of those good people was Jesus. He suffered greatly and He was completely without sin. He did not deserve to suffer. Still, His father in heaven ordained that He would suffer and then die. Jesus willingly made this sacrifice for you and everyone else. Likewise, the Apostles suffered greatly.”

Now more confused than ever, David wondered why God allowed bad people to hurt good people when He could stop them. After all, David thought to himself. “God can do anything so why not protect the innocent from being harmed by those who are evil?”

Elijah read David’s mind. Before David could ask another question Elijah offered an explanation.

“David, God gave each of us free will. He could have ordained that everyone do exactly what He wanted because, after all, He is God. However, that was not what God wanted. So, David, God gave us free will. It was the only way that we ourselves could voluntarily give God what He wanted.”

“Wow! I never thought about it that way, Elijah.”

“David, free will also means that bad people can choose to do bad things to good people. If God intervened He would be taking away the free will of those people. The whole purpose of free will is so that everyone can choose to be good or bad.”

“But Elijah, wouldn’t good come out of His intervening?”

“No David. Free will is a divine decision. If God intervened then He would be a liar. Because God is perfect, He cannot lie. He will intervene in response to prayers. He will not intervene to take away anyone’s free will, because He will not break His decision and promise to give each and everyone one of us our own free will.

“What about you, Elijah? You said you were my guardian angel. Shouldn’t you have been guarding — you know, protecting me?”

“I was protecting, David. I always have been but in a spiritual way. I am bound to do the Lord’s will for you David, not your will. My job is not to protect you from the rigors of living in your earthly world. If that were the case nobody would ever suffer any hardship because everyone is given a guardian angel. I am charged with helping to guide you away from sinfulness.

“Then why am I a sinner? What happened to your guidance?’

“I try to persuade and influence you. I do not dictate. If I did it would interfere with your God-given free will. I am your conscience. Listen to your conscience and you will hear me.”

“Is that what you meant when you said I haven’t been paying attention to God?”

“Exactly David. You see, to get help you have to ask for it. In our spiritual world that means you must pray. There is no such thing as too much prayer. When you pray you’re talking to God. He wants to hear from you all the time. He also likes to answer prayers. God can’t run out of love and neither can you. Love is not a diminishing resource. You can’t run out of love no matter how much love you give people. That’s why love is so good and powerful. It’s by God’s design.

“So, never be afraid to express and give love to God and others. That includes you David. You’re supposed to love yourself. After all, God loves you so how dare you not love that which God loves? Follow His perfect example.”

“But Elijah, I honestly tried to be good.”

“David, you may be listening but you’re still not hearing. Don’t you remember when you talked about being ugly? How you complained about your pimpled face, your fat pudgy body and what you perceived to be your overall bad looks? You were concerned about your physical appearance yet love has nothing to do with good looks.

“Real love isn’t something you see David; it’s something that you feel. You passed judgment on yourself David. You did this based on the hurtful and sometimes evil opinions of others. You had no right to judge anyone and that includes yourself. Only God can judge man! How could you think that God failed to love you just as you are? After all, you are His creation. God doesn’t make junk!”

“Elijah, I feel just terrible. I never understood this before.”

“David, do you honestly believe that God was not pleased with His creation in you? He made you exactly the way HE wanted for His own reasons. Those reasons have absolutely nothing to do with what others think. His creation is perfect even if it appears flawed to the eyes of those who are imperfect in thought. Their thoughts are warped David. Their sinful thoughts result from the bad choices they made, not because of what they perceive to be bad looks.

“Everyone in heaven is heavenly. They are all beautiful. That’s because blemishes are a human condition, not a spiritual one. If you got in touch with your spiritual self you would understand that there is no such thing as an ugly person.”

“I’m so sorry, Elijah? Will God forgive me for failing Him and myself?”

Elijah smiled. “Of course he forgives you David. You need only feel genuine remorse and ask for God’s forgiveness. You mostly please God. He wants you to stay the course and do that which is your destiny. Remember, David, God knows best. Also remember that I am with you always.”

With those final words, Elijah faded away.

Suddenly a nurse screamed out in the emergency room, “Doctor! Doctor! Come quickly!”

The doctor rushed in just in time to see David move. Only moments before he had personally pronounced David dead. First his fingers moved. Then his hands and arms moved. Then he moved from side-to-side. He was moaning but David was very much alive.

“How can this be?” the doctor said. “I don’t understand. I’m certain. I double checked! David’s heart had clearly stopped beating. He stopped breathing. It was unmistakable. David was dead. Yet, now he lives. How can this be?”

Just then David’s mother came running into the room. Embracing her son she cried out, “Thank you Lord! Thank you for answering my prayers.”

An observant nurse said to the doctor, “What you have just witnessed is a genuine miracle doctor. A God given miracle.”

* * *

Ralph and his buddies were tried as adults under Texas law. They were convicted of attempted murder. Each of them was sentenced to 15 years in State prison. Janet was convicted for conspiracy to commit murder. She was sentenced to 10 years in the State women’s prison. These sentences were reduced to supervised probation at the personal request of David.

Acting in the compassionate likeness of Jesus who said “Father forgive them for they know not what they do,” David asked the judge to be compassionate with his attackers. David forgave them unconditionally. This extreme act of kindness changed all their lives forever more. They all were genuinely grateful and went on to become good, kind, caring and compassionate citizens. They, like David, became a blessing to others.

David graduated from high school with honors. Fully understanding his calling, his mission, he went on to college. He studied for and eventually became a youth minister. David specialized in helping children with low self-esteem.

David fell in love with and went on to marry a beautiful woman. She loved David for the content of his character. David was happy. More importantly he discovered that he had a gift for making other people happy.

Every night when David went to bed, before he fell asleep, he would say his ritual prayers. He thanked God for the wonderful life he had. David always concluded his prayer by saying, “Elijah, I know you’re there. Thank you Elijah. Good night.”

Proceed to The Critics’ Corner