Philippians 2:13 (NIV)
For it is God who works in you to will and to act in
order to fulfill his good purpose.
Bill Korducki of Burlington, Wisconsin is convinced that
from time to time God uses us, instead of angels, to keep one another from
harm. It's happened to him. Some years ago, Bill was paying for his college
tuition and books by working at a local department store. One day he was sent
across town to another mall to fill in for a person on his day off.
"The mall across town was much larger than the place
where I usually worked," Bill recalls. "It had two floors, and a big
open area in the middle with a railing and benches all around overlooking the
galleria below." After completing the morning shift Bill went to a
restaurant in the mall for lunch. As he made his way back towards his store, he
noticed a little girl, her mother and grandmother on a bench set against the
railing overlooking the galleria.
"The mother and grandmother were engaged in an
intense discussion, completely focused on each another," Bill says.
"As I continued in their direction, I noticed that the little girl,
perhaps three years of age, was trying to climb over the railing. She had
succeeded in swinging her left leg over the railing and was trying to shift her
weight and push off the bench with her right leg. Neither of the women noticed
her."
Bill was stunned. Of course he was hesitant to grab
someone else's child. He had learned in the retail business that it's important
to be gentle with children, no matter what they're doing. And it was important
not to offend the parents too. But this child was going to topple over in a
moment, and if he shouted. Bill quickened his pace, reached the girl, and
gently pulled her off the railing. "You shouldn't be climbing on the
railing like that," he told her, just loud enough for the adults to hear.
"You could fall and get hurt. That would upset your mother very
much."
Suddenly Bill had the mother and grandmother's full
attention. They were very embarrassed as he handed the child back to them.
"Her guardian angel sent me," he told them, brushing off their
thanks, and hurried on to his department. ("After all, I was paid on
commission and I needed all the sales I could get to pay for college!") He
was starting to realize that he might have saved the little girl's life. A
50-foot fall into the galleria could have certainly injured her seriously, if
it didn't kill her.
Awhile later, the store was abuzz with another wild
customer tale---there were always a few to share. A clerk from another
department came to Bill, laughing. "Have you heard?" she asked.
"An old lady and her daughter went to Security, claiming an angel saved
her granddaughter from a fall, and when she looked up after he handed the
little girl to her, he disappeared!"
Bill wondered what to do. Apparently, he was the only one
who knew the truth, yet how could he stop a false story from spreading? But
later, as he was stationed near the store exit, he saw the women and the little
girl walking through his department! He called to them. They were astounded,
and rushed over to him.
"I'm not an angel," Bill assured them.
"But your granddaughter's guardian angel had me at that place at that time
to do what I did. Just remember to continue to pray. It does work." The
women thanked Bill again, said goodnight and left the store with a bewildered
look on their faces. "As for me," says Bill, "I thanked God for
giving me the chance to do an angel's work."
Being an earth angel doesn't always involve something
major, such as saving a life. Sometimes we're just needed to hold a hand,
whisper a word of comfort or even provide food or drink. As one writer put it,
"If people were more like angels, earth would be more like heaven." Will
you let God use you today to do His work.
Dear Lord, we pray that when the opportunities come our way
to help someone we would do our part. Help us not turn away and do nothing. In
Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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