Michael gazed at the splendor around him, his head swiveling from one magnificent sight to the next as he tried to take it all in. How was he supposed to concentrate with so much beauty vying for his attention? The light was almost overwhelming; he couldn’t tell what direction it came from because everything glowed equally with its brilliance. The streets and buildings shimmered with it, twinkling diamonds of light reflecting off each glassy golden surface. A crystal clear river meandered through the center, and trees laden with ripe fruit lined each side of the water’s edge, perfuming the air with their heady fragrance. He could hear the Seraphim singing beside the throne, their voices lilting in harmony.
A giant wall stood in the distance, a sparkling rainbow of different gemstones with pearlescent gates. Twelve guards stood silently at each gate, majestic in their regal poses. Michael wondered how long they had stood there and if they ever tired of their post. It didn’t seem like a very interesting job. He didn’t know much about the different roles his kind were assigned to, but he was pretty sure his was the best.
Michael was a guardian angel, or at least he was going to be, as soon as he finished his training. He wasn’t sure how long it would take, since this was his first day, but he was antsy to get on with it and start his mission. He couldn’t imagine anything more important and exciting than the task of guarding a human.
He supposed that was intentional; the Big Guy probably created all the angels with personalities perfectly suited to the job they were assigned. According to his trainer, God had a master plan. It didn’t always make sense to lower beings like himself, and humans needed a lot of persuasion to trust in it, but supposedly God had everything figured out, and it would all turn out okay if everybody else just listened to Him and did what he said. That didn’t always happen, though. Apparently, humans were constantly getting themselves in trouble because they refused to heed His warnings.
Michael didn’t really understand why they were God’s favorite creation. He secretly thought that God had made humans way too smart for their own good, and if he were in charge he would have given them a lot less free will. Of course, if that were the case, guardian angels would be out of a job. As a guardian, his whole purpose in life was to keep his human out of trouble.
Michael couldn’t wait to meet his human. He, or she, hadn’t even been conceived yet, but each guardian was created with one particular human in mind, so Michael knew they would be a perfect match. His trainer told him the toughest cases got assigned to experienced angels who had already guided a few humans on to eternity, but he couldn’t help but worry a little that he wasn’t qualified for such an important job.
He knew it was possible for angels to fail — look at Lucifer and his horde of followers. He used to be the most powerful of all the angels until he disobeyed God and got himself and all his cohorts kicked out of heaven. What if Michael screwed up, too? God had named him after the archangel — seriously the most awesome angel around, so that had to mean something, right? Michael could only pray that he would prove himself worthy of the task he had been given.
Michael tried to listen as his trainer explained the role of angels throughout history. There were some pretty amazing stories, but his anticipation got the best of him, and he was soon daydreaming about the adventures he was bound to have on Earth. Would he save his human from a deadly crash or rescue him from a burning building? Maybe he would prevent a robbery or steal a child from Satan’s clutches? His eyes glazed over as he imagined the possibilities, each more fantastic than the last.
“Michael… Michael… MICHAEL!” Emit’s voice grew more demanding as he tried to rouse Michael from his fantasy. Michael shook his head to clear away the daydream as his eyes refocused on his trainer.
“Sorry, Dominion Emit, my imagination just got the best of me.” He hung his head to hide his smile.
“I know you’re excited, Michael. I can see it written all over your face. Perhaps some real-world training would be more to your liking?” Emit gave a knowing smile. Michael’s eyes widened, and he nodded eagerly. “Come on, son, let’s go pay a visit to Earth.”
A thrill raced through Michael at the possibility. According to all the other angels, guardians never got to visit Earth this early in their training! There were always eons of history to study first. The Big Guy expected them to learn everything there was to know about heaven, Earth, angels, humans, and Himself before they ever got a taste of the action. It would take a month of Sundays just to learn all of God’s names, so Michael didn’t expect to visit Earth for months if not years. Why was Dominion Emit so willing to let him visit already?
“The Master told me you might need a slightly different approach, Michael. He understands your excitement, and He wants to encourage it. He gave me permission to take you on a little field trip before your lessons begin. There’s still plenty you have to learn before your assignment, but perhaps this experience will motivate you to focus on your studies.”
Michael didn’t know why the Almighty had decided to break tradition for him, but he was thrilled. He was completely fascinated by how the world worked and couldn’t wait to see it first-hand. He grabbed Emit’s outstretched hand and tried his best not to close his eyes as the two angels traveled to Earth faster than Michael could blink. Within moments, they were standing in the middle of a crowded street, busy humans rushing by on either side. No one noticed two heavenly beings suddenly appear in their midst. Michael stared in amazement at the human’s obliviousness to the spiritual beings all around them.
“Their eyes are blind to us unless we choose to reveal ourselves,” Emit answered Michael’s unspoken question. “Our role is without glory. All of that belongs to the Creator. If humans were fully aware of our place in their lives, they would deify us, worship us instead. Only a few humans in history have ever been entrusted with the full knowledge of our presence. To the rest we are but a fantasy — beyond their comprehension.”
Michael’s eyes widened as he watched the angels around him quietly protecting their humans from all kinds of bodily harm. Humans were ridiculously careless and oblivious to the dangers around them. Most of them stared blankly at their cell phones as they walked directly into peril.
“Those little gadgets have greatly increased our workload.” Emit gave a half-hearted chuckle.
Cars zoomed by them, their drivers talking animatedly on their phones and to their passengers, taking their eyes off the road for long stretches as they fiddled with the radio dials or plucked french fries from paper bags. Michael gasped as one car swerved from its lane and barreled towards another, the driver’s head turned almost completely around as she fumbled for a pacifier that had fallen from her screaming infant’s mouth. Michael closed his eyes, afraid to witness the imminent crash. When there was no audible evidence of a collision, he opened his eyes a few seconds later to see the mother’s head still turned behind but the car going straight instead of sideways.
“It’s a miracle that woman didn’t just kill herself and her baby!” Michael gaped at the back of the car as it sped away.
“Yes, it was.” Emit nodded but didn’t seem impressed. “Miracles happen every day, Michael — most of them at the hand of guardian angels such as yourself.”
“But I didn’t even see an angel in the car with that woman.”
“Oh, he was there, all right, working overtime to save them.” Emit smiled, his aged eyes crinkling at the corners. “Guardians have many abilities, Michael. We can guide our charges away from danger, we can speak warnings and encouragements, we can move objects, we can even appear in bodily form, but the most powerful of our abilities is the potential to take over a human’s body in times of extreme desperation.”
“Wow.” Michael gazed around with a new appreciation for his fellow guardians in light of his newfound understanding.
Emit chuckled, then his voice turned serious. “Yes, Michael, guardians are very powerful beings, entrusted with great responsibility. The Father has placed his most beloved creation in our care. Only those who exhibit supreme dedication are given the task of guarding a human. And the Lord believes you are equal to the task, Michael.”
“But, he doesn’t even know me yet!” Michael wrung his hands and swiveled his head around, overwhelmed by all the activity. “How can he know I’m cut out for this?”
“He made you, Michael, he knows exactly who you are and what you will become. You can feel honored he has chosen you and pledge to do your best to fulfill your duties.”
“I will, Dominion Emit, I promise.” Michael nodded, his eagerness replaced by trepidation.
“You have much to learn still, Michael. Let us return to heaven and resume your lessons.”
“Yes, Dominion, but first, can we see just a little more of Earth?” Michael begged, a mischievous smile on his angelic face.
“I suppose it won’t hurt to show you a few more sights,” Emit conceded and immediately whisked Michael away on a whirlwind tour of his favorites places on Earth.