My last post spoke of a writers’ conference I attended in which I was so dissatisfied, I left early, second guessing my ‘mission’ as a Christian author.
I trudged down the steps toward the parking lot, but I was suddenly not alone. A man in his sixties with his arm in a sling walked in the same direction. He smiled and said, “It can be discouraging sometimes.” I smiled back, but I’m sure my smile was accompanied by a perplexed look. It was as if he could read my mind! But then I remembered… I have the worst ‘poker face’ on Earth; I wear my emotions on my sleeve. I resolved that he had just read my expression.
During the twenty seconds it took to reach the parking lot, he told me to hang in there, keep writing, and to not worry about obstacles… God would work them out. He had said EXACTLY what I needed to hear at that moment. His encouragement filled my heart with hope again and his words echoed and swirled around in my mind as we said goodbye and headed toward our cars.
But as I turned back for one more glimpse at this helpful stranger, I was surprised to find I could no longer see him. I stopped in my tracks and really looked. Scanning the area, I concluded there was nowhere he could have travelled on foot in that small amount of time to be able to disappear like that. I spent the next fifteen minutes searching for this gentleman, but could not find any evidence he’d been there. There were no corners to turn, no buildings to leap inside, no man-holes to sink into, no trees to climb– especially with an injured arm. There were only cars parked in an open lot. Funny thoughts crossed my mind… maybe he was hiding in his trunk? Taking a nap in his back seat? But there hadn’t even been time for him to open a car door when I turned back to look for him.
Had I just been encouraged by a messenger of God?
It is unfortunate that some may cringe at that question… even some Bible-thumpin’ Christians. The spiritual realm seems so distant to us as we run on the treadmill of life sometimes. Angels exist. Don’t shy away from the fact that they are actively involved in your life… holy angels and the fallen ones, too.
I may never know who this ‘man’ really was, but I do know this event shook me enough to keep me writing.
Thanks for this reminder….yes I did have an angel encounter at a hospital years ago….the story quite different than yours. While visiting my sick friend an elderly patient across the hall kept yelling and was starting to get on the nurses nerves. For some reason I was able to quiet her down and spent some time trying to feed her and just listen to her share. After about an hour she asked me if I was an angel. I turned to her and smiled and said, “no, but I thought you were one.” Honestly, God did a quick work in both of us so quickly, I truly thought maybe she was an angel. When I got home that night I read Hebrews 13:1-2 And will never forget that verse nor the encounter.
My sister is a writer and wondered if you know her as she speaks at writer conferences sometimes…Lissa Halls Johnson
Thanks Mindy for taking the time to visit my blog and comment. Hmmm… I don’t think I’ve ever met or heard your sister speak, but does she have a website that could possibly jar my memory? All the best to her in her writing and also to your endeavors! : )