Single Again… Angels Among us

By Kenneth Stepp

Have you ever thought about angels? Where they came from or who they are? I hope to expound on these questions and thoughts as I write this. I was listening to a song today as I was driving called, Angels Among Us by Alabama. The song touched me and made me think about what angels have meant to me in my life. 

I’m a Christian but I seldom reference the bible when I write but feel I should in this case.  In Hebrews 13:2, Paul said, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” 

The word strangers opened my mind here. Strangers are important, not to us but to someone. I once posted a quote that read, “where everyone is as important and anyone”. I made that quote at a time in my life that I vowed to never judge another person again. While I win that most of the time I don’t win it all of the time. But I do try.

There are some who believe angels are helpful, that they lead us out of danger, that they exist for our greater good. Maybe this is so and maybe it’s an illusion. I believe it and myself my thoughts are what I can be accountable for, so I believe what makes sense to me. I can also say that I have seen too much to think otherwise. 

Have you ever been in a tight spot and almost like magic, someone appears, someone who is unexpected just injects themselves into your bad spot? It’s the darnedest thing when it happens to you. About 4 ½ years ago I was driving a truck and it ran out of gas. The fuel gauge didn’t work. Traffic was bad, so I grabbed my can and began walking. 

It was hot and people were honking. This beautiful girl in a minivan rolled down her window and offered me a ride. I got in. In the back seat were two small children in car seats. She drove me to get gas and then drove me back to my truck. She then waited till it started. I never saw her again, but many thoughts struck me. First, that was dangerous for her and her kids, second, what a kind heart she had. 

To be foolish and kind. That was the thought that stuck in my head that day. Was she an angel? Did she know I would be a safe person to allow in her car with her kids? At that moment I believed she was sent to me. Something unseen touched her heart on my behalf. 

Several years ago my wife was following me home from one of the many meetings with a marriage counselor. We were desperate to salvage our marriage. It was pouring that night and rush hour traffic was awful. Ahead of me was a car that broke down on the bridge and a lady standing in the rain beside it.  

I pulled up and rolled down the window and asked her if I could help. She got in and I pulled in front of her car. I called my wife and said I’d be home soon, that she needed my help. She wasn’t a Barbie, smelled like an ashtray and looked a mess. I felt if I didn’t help no one else would. I hate this is the way the world works but it’s true.

She had just bought the car from a local auto sales place and I had met the owner’s son once. I called him as I sat on the bridge. I asked him to repair the car and send me the bill. I called my wrecker driver and had him pick it up for her. I told her in the morning things would look better for her. I gave her my card and told her to call me if she needed any more help.

Her tears stopped and she talked all the way to her home. Her boyfriend was in the local jail and she had just been to visit him. Her life since childhood had never been easy. I was looking at someone who had never been loved or never understood the power of love. I asked her if I could pray for her, she said yes. As she was getting out of my truck she turned and asked me this. Are you an angel? Far from it sweetie. Have a great night.

All the way home and many times since I thought about her and that question. Can it be that we are all angels in waiting? Are we prepared to do angel things in different periods of our lives for different people? After much reflection I realized that she did more for me than I ever could have for her. That was 15 years ago and I still cry when I remember how her heart and her story touched me.

I’ll leave you with a few final thoughts. Be aware of more than just you. Notice needs of others and fill those needs if you are able. And lastly, be kind. Kindness has a way of helping the giver as much as the receiver. Love has power and unspent love is a real thing. 

“Don’t save love, spend it graciously, lavishly, and freely. Never forget that love is the only real power in this life. Everything else disappears and changes owners” – kstepp

2 Comments

  1. I was 21 with my 2 year old Son, I was out of State with a man that said he would marry me. When we got to TX from FL, I found documents stating he was already married.
    I waited until he went to work and I put my baby in my Kia Spectra and headed home. The problem was…I didn’t know where I was and I had no money. This was the days just before map quest.
    I ran out of gas in Louisiana. As I stepped out of the car at a gas station, a tall man in overalls with a baseball cap stood in front of me. He said he wanted to fill my tank. I hugged him after but he didn’t hug back. He wanted absolutely no credit for his good deed. I asked him if he was an angel and he said “I am a Servant of God”.
    The gas lasted from Louisiana to FL and there’s just no way that’s possible (800 miles). When I got home, I opened my Bible and my eyes fell on the exact Scripture referenced here in this article. Scripture also says God sends Angels to His Children. Even when they’re careless and get themselves in awful situations

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