A JOB FOR AN ANGEL
Alone in the darkness…a solitary figure lay breathing in the mist that drifted off the water in the cool night air. With the window slightly ajar and the temperature at a humid 80 degrees…he had decided the breeze might help him to sleep. The previous day had been nothing short of a wide awake nightmare and it was all he could do to run a washcloth over his aching muscles and crawl into bed. No dinner…no television…not tonight.
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His
eyelids felt as if they weighed a good 10 pounds each as he fought to keep them
open. Even the last chapter of the book that he had been planning to finish all
day was no match for them. His mind couldn’t focus anyway…at least not on
anything but the look in his eyes. He just couldn’t shake it…the
desperation…the fear.
He
knew he was about to die…Jesus.
He
couldn’t have been more than thirteen…the kid…the gunman…the felon…that they
had encountered that day. How is it possible? How does a child who’s biggest
problem should be facing his parents with a less than C average report
card…turn to this kind of violence?
These
were his thoughts as his mind began to fall into the nothingness…a much-needed
escape from the reality of it. Maybe if he willed it…maybe if he wanted it
badly enough…the earth would find its familiar axis again. Maybe
tomorrow…instead of watching a child bleed to death in his arms…he and his
partner would spend some time in the park…like they
used
to do…shooting hoops with a few of the local street kids.
With
sleep about to overtake him…he lay the book on the nightstand and reached up to
turn out the light. Now alone in the darkness…he gave in…allowing it to
envelope him.
He
couldn’t have noticed them…even if he wasn’t so tired. Even if he wasn’t so
totally engrossed in his own thoughts.
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“I
have a job for you.” The Lord said to the angel that hovered close by his side.
He
gave him a puzzled but eager response. “What kind of job.”
“Oh…a
very important one.” The Lord replied. “Come with me…I want to show you
something.”
They
moved through the mist that hovered over the city…closer and closer to the tiny
little house by the lake on the Northern end of town. As they approached their
destination the Lord spoke softly to his pupil.
“I
have created the sky’s…the oceans…the forests…and all living things. I have
seen with mine own eyes the sad and slow destruction of man whom I have forged
from my own image. I have watched as my children cry out to me in their endless
pain and suffering…for hope…for charity…for compassion.”
“Yes…”
The little angel replied. “I too have seen such things.”
“In
one day I answered their prayers…It was a very large task because I had to make
sure that all their needs could be met.” The Lord told him as they drifted
through the open window and came to rest a few feet above his bed.
“But
Lord…” The angel asked curiously. “Why if their prayers were answered do they
continue to suffer?”
“Some
of their suffering is by their own hand” He explained. “It’s the ones who are
helpless…powerless to defend themselves or to rise above their circumstances.
For them…I created a new breed…a mold if you will. A blueprint for a special
kind of soul.”
“Is
this why you brought me here?” The angel asked. “Is this what you wanted to
show me?”
“Yes…”
The Lord whispered. “Behold…the soul of the police officer…can you see it
through the cover of his flesh?”
“Yes…”
He whispered in awe as he drew closer to get a better look. “It’s so different
from others I’ve seen…it has a glow about it.”
“Yes…”
The Lord replied. “Because I have empowered it with so many special gifts…more
so than others before it.”
“What
kind of gifts?”
“The
ability to see through the outward appearance of others…to know what is truly
in their soul.”
“The
ability to feel compassion for strangers.”
“The
abilitly to face the fear of it’s own certain death…if it means he might save
the life of another.”
“The
ability to reason in an instant and to react without hesitation.”
“The
strength to rise above his own personal trials and reach out to others in their
time of need.”
“But
Lord…how can he do this alone?” The angel asked with amazement.
“He
cannot.” The Lord replied. “That is why I had to create more than one…so they
would be able to take care of each other.”
“So
where is the other one?”
“Not
far…never far…in his heart he knows where to find him.” The Lord answered.
“So
what is it you wish me to do?”
“Watch
over them…guide them on their journey…help them to overcome their enemies.” The
Lord told him. “It is a very important job.”
The
angel watched for a moment longer as the figure of the man continued to sleep.
Then as he studied him…a strange sight appeared…it was small…but it caused the
angel to glance up to the Lord with one final question.
“What’s
that?” He asked as he watched it run down the side of his cheek.
“A
tear…” He answered. “Shed for fallen brother officers…souls that have lost
their way…and those who suffer in the damnation of his world who feel they have
no one to save them.”
The
Lord just smiled and said softly…
“I didn’t place it there.”
THE
END