My Own Personal Guardian Angel

During college I worked in a mental health facility with children-teenagers really. During my tenure there I encountered many kids, each with a unique problem. Some merely suffered from some type of depression, others had tried to kill themselves, and sometimes one would come along with a more serious problem, such as schizophrenia.

I distinctly remember one night in particular: the night I met Mary-Jane. It was quiet, the patients were pretty well behaved, and overall they were a likable bunch. Then I heard from the head nurse that we were getting a new patient. I didn't think much of it because it wasn't anything all that unusual. What did get my attention, though, was when the nurse told me this patient was suffering from her first psychotic break. That might not mean anything to you, so allow me to explain. Undoubtedly you've seen a movie with a mental patient babbling on about nothing, maybe even incomprehensibly. This is a real condition, and people suffering from it are generally referred to as psychotic.

The shift was winding down, and the patients were in bed, when out in the hall I heard a bit of commotion. I walked out of the nurses' station and there was this small teenage girl with golden blonde hair. This was Mary-Jane, and she was informing my coworker, John, that he ought not to be doing something (although he was doing nothing). She introduced herself to me and informed John and I that she wanted to tell us a story. We coaxed her back to her room and I began listening to what she had to say.

Mary-Jane was convinced she was an angel. Not the cute, "daddy's-little-girl" type angel, but a REAL angel. She started talking about how God was in everything, didn't we know, and that she had been sent here to help people. Then she looked right at me, and in a moment I doubt I'll soon forget, said "You look sad. Don't be sad, I'm here to help you. I'm your guardian angel! Everything will be all right."
As I drove home after work that night, I got to thinking. Mary-Jane (who did recover) may have been psychotic, but she had made a good point. God is involved with everything. Not in the sense that God IS everything, as some people believe, but more that He is always watching over us, no matter where we are or what we are going. I was reminded of Ps. 91:11-12 where God tells us that He will give His angels charge over us to keep us from harm. This is such a profound thing that Satan himself tried to tempt Jesus into sinning by distorting this very verse.

To me this shows again the great love of God. He has an entire universe to run, with countless other beings in it, all needing His help and wisdom in some way. Even so, He watches over each and every one of us, and He sends angels to protect us from danger, some we can see, some we can't. How great is THAT? The Master of the Universe loves we screwed up little humans so much that He sends angels to protect us. Truly He is a God of love.

ENCOUNTER: How have you experienced God's love today?