Short Stories

God's Little Angel

by Diana Heath
04/29/18
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Do you believe in angels? I do not mean the type of angels that appear in paintings, like the mighty Archangel Michael, or the majestic seraphim or cherubim that guard God's throne. I am talking about those angels who appear in human form; supernatural beings that are clothed in simple humanity.

My mother had just been diagnosed with breast cancer, which was not the first time that she had battled with this ravaging beast. Many years prior, she had been diagnosed with bladder cancer, but after surgery, she had emerged victorious. But in her late 70s, she received the terrible diagnosis of an aggressive breast cancer, which required the combined treatment of radiation therapy and chemotherapy. My mother's illness, combined with my own work-related troubles; a government restructure which meant that I may soon lose my source of financial stability, was weighing on my mind. Just as mum was about to start her cancer treatment, her elderly mother of 101 years old passed away. Our family was being violently shaken and my faith in God was shaken too.

I knew all the Bible verses about faith and trust in God during the difficult times such as “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3: 5-6 NIV). But now, I firmly believed that God had abandoned us.

After a few weeks of her cancer treatment, mum began to experience the harrowing effects of the chemotherapy: physical weakness, nerve pains throughout the body, and she was losing her beloved hair. But she remained upbeat and her faith in God was steadfast and sure. Outwardly, I emulated her steadfast trust in God, but in my heart, fear and doubt reigned supreme.

Mum had taught me that God's timing was always perfect, and it is during those dark nights of the soul that in His own way and in His own time, He would shine a brilliant light and dispel the darkness. But I never thought that this biblical truth would become a firm reality in my life in the incredible way it did. In one moment, God chose to reach down into my spiraling out of control world and show me a sign that I was still on his radar.

On this particular day, I was taking mum shopping. Despite the effects of the chemotherapy, she stalwartly refused to give up and was determined to go about her daily life, on her good days, as per normal. While we were in the shopping centre, she began to feel ill and I took her to the toilets. It was a frightening time, as she would not tell me what was wrong. So all I could do was wait outside the toilets in the shopping centre foyer. As there were no seats, I leaned back against the ice cold wall. I tried to pray, but my spirit was desolate and no words would come. All of the accumulated stress and tension resulted in tiny black spots that formed before my eyes and my blood pressure began to drop rapidly. I felt dizzy and thought that I was going to pass out, so I slid down the wall and crouched on the ground. My breathing was constricted and panic started to rise in my chest and sweat poured down my face. As I sat crouched on the floor, the memories of the last couple of months flickered through my mind; the news of mum's cancer, the loss of my grandmother, losing my job and becoming a carer, of which I felt totally unprepared for, and now this – it was like a heavy weight was crushing down on me. The tears were beginning to form and I took a deep breath to try and hold them back.

In the midst of this physical, mental and emotional storm, a little angel was sent to touch my heart. A lady pushing a stroller and her daughter came walking down the hallway toward me. The little brown-haired girl had a bright smile on her pretty face and she was looking straight at me. I looked away embarrassed as I must have looked like a crazy woman huddled down on the floor outside the toilets. A few people had given me curious looks earlier on as they passed me and I wondered what they were thinking.

But the little girl waved at me, and said cheerfully, “Hello!”

I tried to smile back and just mumbled something incoherently.

Unperturbed, the little girl continued to smile at me and went into the toilets with her mother.

I managed to struggle to my feet but a fresh wave of dizziness swept over me, so I resumed my awkward sitting position and leaned my head back against the wall. Once again I tried to avoid the curious glances of the other shoppers.

The little girl and her mother came out of the toilets. Quick as a flash, the little girl rushed over to me and enthusiastically wrapped her arms around my shoulders and gave me a quick kiss on my cheek. I was so shocked! I peered up at her through the tears that filled my eyes, and I glanced quickly at her mother, to gauge her reaction to her brave daughter who had just kissed a complete stranger. But her mother acted as if this was a completely natural thing for her daughter to do, and called out to her, “Come on, pumpkin, let's go.”

The little girl smiled down at me again and then ran back to her mother. She turned around once more and waved as they began to walk away.

“Bye! Have a nice day!” she called out to me.

This type of colloquial farewell should have sounded hollow to my ears, but from this pint-size bundle of happiness, it was enough to kick-start my faith. I waved goodbye to them both and rose to my feet. Amazingly, not only had my physical symptoms subsided, but I also felt refreshed in my spirit. In his compassion and mercy, God had pulled back the curtain of heaven, just for a brief moment, and reached down to minister to me in my time of great need. God had spoken through this sweet little angel and used her childlike innocence and incredible boldness to shine a bright ray of warm sunshine into the darkness that was enveloping me. 

As I write these words, my heart surges. Although this 'God-incidence' took place some years ago, I still remember this event vividly. Since that day, I have endured many bitter heartaches and life struggles, but this momentary glorious glimpse of heaven has continued to sustain me.