Everyone Needs a Guardian Angel by Erin Evenson

As I read 2 Nephi and we discussed it in class the topic that really touched me was the topic of angels. The only time angels really come up in my life outside of the scriptures is at Christmas time when my brother and I argue over who gets to put the angel at the top of our Christmas tree. My family spends great amounts of time picking out the perfect tree that will have the perfect top to be adorned with the golden angel that my grandmother gave us for Christmas years ago. The angel is wearing a beautiful gown and has her hands extended towards the heavens. It is quite the ordeal to get the tree up and put the ornaments on, and it all leads to the final moment when my brother and I put the angel on the top. The decorations just aren’t complete until the angel is up, and once she is I feel like she watches over my family for the Christmas season. This is the thought that comes to mind when I think about angels and I feel an overwhelming sense of protection and security. The angels that come up in the scriptures have the same effect for me.

I think angels are present in our lives for many different reasons and one of those is to warn us if danger or sadness is near. In D&C 88:92 it says “And ^aangels shall fly through the midst of heaven, crying with a loud voice, sounding the trump of God, saying: Prepare ye, prepare ye, O inhabitants of the earth; for the ^bjudgment of our God is come. Behold, and lo, the ^cBridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.” In this case the angels are warning the people that judgment is coming and we must act accordingly. Sometimes we can be distracted in this world with temptations from Satin and we forget what our purpose is here and we forget the importance of the commandments. Our guardian angels are here to remind us of these things and to protect us from these afflictions.

In my life I have found that angels are most often present in great times of need or distress. In Judg. 13:3 it says “And the ^aangel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art ^bbarren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.” A woman who cannot have children is in great need of and angel and support from family and friends. In this case the angel came to tell her that she would be able to bear children when she had previously thought it would be impossible. I can only imagine the comfort and joy this message would bring to any woman or to myself in such a time of need.

Many times in my life I have felt the presence of my guardian angel guiding me on the right path, but I often find that people around me don’t always feel the presence of their angels. My brother, Kjell, is not a member of the church so he does not read scriptures or attend church. He also finds himself mixed in with an interesting crowd of kids at school. When he finds himself tangled up in the temptations of drugs and alcohol I think he gets confused and doesn’t know if he is doing these things because he wants to or because he is trying to be cool to his friends. I always keep my brother in my prayers and pray that his guardian angel will stay with him and guide him when he is in darkness. In Isa. 63:9 it says “In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the ^bangel of his ^cpresence saved them: in his ^dlove and in his pity he ^eredeemed them; and he bare them, and ^fcarried them all the days of old.” I pray that someone is always watching out for Kjell when I am not around and that he will feel the love and protection that our angels give us.

I read a quote once that I really liked about angels that I try to remember as often as I can. The quote is from The Angels' Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias Freeman and says “Be an angel to someone else whenever you can, as a way of thanking God for the help your angel has given you.” I think this is one of the most important things we can do in our lives. Since I have felt my angel and all the love I have received, the best way to say thanks is to give that same love and protection to someone in need. We just need to have a positive attitude. I really like the hymn “Angels We Have Heard on High,” because it starts out “Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o’er the plains, and the mountains in reply, echoing their joyous strains.” This just shows how positive and joyous our angels are in our lives.

There is one scripture that reminds me of Kjell and I putting our angel on our Christmas tree every time I read it. It is Rev. 10:5 and it says “And the angel which I saw ^astand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven.” This is the exact image of the beautiful angel that watches over my family during Christmas from the top of our tree. I think this quote helps us see how angels are one of our connections to heavenly father and heaven. They are constantly looking toward our heavenly father and to heaven for guidance as we should be doing in our lives.