I rarely think on the subject of guardian angels. I'm unsure as to why this is--it isn't as though I believe them to be fictitious characters. But regardless, they rarely cross my mind. That is, until certain events happen.
You see, it was raining the other day. And by raining, I mean pouring. Being a forgetful college student (as are most college students), I had yet to purchase an umbrella. As I stared out the window, I debated whether or not to venture into the extreme moisture that was covering campus. Finally, I came to this realization: it's only water. So off I went, walking briskly through the raindrops.
An older maintenance man, whom I had never seen before, saw me walking behind one of the buildings. He was carrying an umbrella and paused, waiting for me to reach the place where he was standing. He held out his umbrella a little ways and told me I was welcome to walk under his umbrella with him. I was touched by his kindness as we walked a little while and made small talk. What a kind man, I thought to myself. We went to part ways, as I was going to the music building and he was headed towards the business buildings. As I went to walk away, however, he handed me his umbrella.
"Take this, and just leave it at the front door of whatever building you go to," he told me. "I'll pick it up there later." At first, I protested, seeing how wet it was outside. After all, it wasn't his fault that I had neglected to purchase an umbrella. But after a moment, seeing the look in his eye and hearing the tone in his voice, I accepted his gesture of kindness. I was overwhelmed at the graciousness of this man, whom I did not know from Adam. He was a true indication that there are, in fact, still people in this world who think of others before themselves.
As I arrived to class, I was deep in thought, pondering what could be accomplished if each one of us had the heart of the man with the umbrella. God calls us all to be servants to one another; to think of others before thinking of ourselves. What incredible miracles could we achieve in other people's lives when we're living in accordance to God's commands?
I have not seen my Umbrella Guardian Angel since that day. But every now and then I think of him, wondering if he knows how much his kindness touched my heart, wondering what I can do to create an impact in someone else's life the way he impacted mine. Such a simple gesture, such incredible power.
Amazing, isn't it? How God gives us little gifts in our everyday lives? Sometimes when we least expect it, He teaches us the greatest lessons through things as simple as an umbrella on a rainy day.
