The Reluctant Angel

Jacob O. Malone

Copyright Applied for 1994
by Jacob O. Malone, Augusta, Georgia
jmalone@fbcaugusta.org
(706) 312-0900

All rights reserved. No portion of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, without permission in writing from the author. Inquiries should be addressed to: Jacob O. Malone, 2933 Foxhall Circle, Augusta, Georgia 30907.

Dedication
Dedicated to my own very
special golden haired angels:
Cathy
Amy
Elizabeth
You have each, in your own way,
made my life special.

Acknowledgement
This story comes from a statement made by Amy. We were discussing the Christmas musical performed by our children’s choirs at First Baptist Church, Augusta, Georgia. The Christmas was the one of 1993 and they presented a living Christmas tree with a pretty blond angel at the top. We commented that Amy, who was 20 years old at the time, was probably always an angel in her Christmas plays. She responded, “Yes,” but that she “always wanted to be Mary.” It seemed that Mary’s part always went to a brunette. So was planted the seed that grew into this story.
My ward, Ed Kirk, gives everyone a nickname. Ed’s nickname for Amy is “Mimi” so I used this name for this reluctant angel.
It was written on that Christmas Eve.

The Reluctant Angel


Mimi couldn’t remember when she was created. Unlike human children Angels are not born as babies and then grow up. They are created by God fully grown and never get any older. Mimi was an angel. Not an old mature angel like the Archangel Gabriel. She was a small young angel, a very young angel. This was very unusual.

Mimi was also a rather free spirit, always into everything. Yet because she was so cute with beautiful golden hair and a classic angelic face, the other angels put up with her, most of the time. Besides, whenever anyone asked (or complained) about Mimi, they were told that God understood their concerns, but that He had created Mimi for a very special purpose. “Someday,” God told them, “you will understand.”

Time really doesn’t mean much to an angel. Mimi didn’t know how long it had been since her life began, but one day Heaven was abuzz with all the other angels talking about a baby to be born, a girl baby. A special girl baby, a baby girl destined to become the mother of the Christ Child.

For a long time Mimi had heard about the Christ Child. She knew that he would be God’s own son, Jesus, and that from the beginning God had planned for Jesus to be sent down to earth to show them God’s Love

Mimi had never thought about how Christ would get to earth. Now she learned that Jesus not only would be born but also would be born to a human woman.

Oh, how much she wanted to be that woman. To be the mother of the Christ Child.

She talked to all her friends trying to find out how she could become a human so she too could be born. She knew she was created special so maybe this was to be her special assignment.

“I’ll be a great mother,” she thought, and every day she dreamed about how she would nurse and care for the Baby Jesus. She learned the lullabies that human mothers sang and could almost feel the warm closeness of the baby Jesus as she imagined holding Him closely in her arms.

Everyone was very nice and understanding, but all explained that angels were—well, angels were angels and that humans were humans and that since she had been created an angel, she could not now be made into a human, for angels were angels. “Besides,” they told her, “God has something special in mind for you.” “How much more special could anything be than to be the mother of Jesus,” Mimi thought?

The time came for the girl child to be born. She was named Mary and she was beautiful with dark deep eyes and curly dark hair. Mary was special from the start, as they all knew she would be, but Mimi was so sad. As she looked upon the beautiful little dark haired baby, she couldn’t help but feel that
if only her hair had been brown or black
instead of golden, maybe …

But she knew that would never be, after all—she was an angel, and right then she started wishing she had never been made into an angel. She didn’t want to be an angel anymore.

Angels did not normally pout but Mimi did. For a long time Mimi pouted. While all of heaven waited for Mary to mature, Mimi pouted, pouted so long that she almost missed the news.

Once again all of heaven was abuzz. Mary was old enough to conceive and give birth to the Christ Child. This would happen soon and the angels would be the ones to tell Mary and Joseph what was happening. They would even announce the birth to the whole world.

At first Mimi was hesitant. She was reluctant to do anything that would forever identify her as an
angel, but everyone was so excited that she too became excited. After all, plans were being made for the
Birth of the Christ Child.


“Maybe I will get to be the one to tell Mary,” Mimi thought. “I couldn’t be the Mother of the Christ Child, but I would do a great job of explaining to Mary what was about to happen. After all everyone had told her that she was to do something very special for God. That would be special—to be able to tell Mary about Jesus.

She began to practice how she would approach Mary. She thought of a thousand different ways she could tell Mary without scaring her to death like some of those bigger and older angels.

One afternoon, after day dreaming (just one more time) how she would tell Mary, one of her friends came to inform her that Gabriel had just been sent to tell Mary about Jesus. Mimi was devastated. She was so sad. All her dreams seemed to be dying and she wished she had never been made an angel.

Then came the news that a choir was being formed. Mimi thought, “Maybe I can get a part in the choir.” She hummed and practiced every song she knew. Every day she waited to get the word that she was to be in the choir. She just knew she would have a part.

One afternoon as she was walking and humming to herself, she heard a choir practicing. It was the most wonderful music she had ever heard. “Who are they she asked,” only to learn that it was The choir, the one to sing at the birth of her Lord. It was her choir, the one she had been practicing for and humming for and all just to be in it, but she wasn’t in it. She didn’t even get a chance to try out for a part in it.

One of her friends told her it was probably because her voice was not very strong. Mimi admitted that she really didn’t have the voice to be in so beautiful a choir, but still she was disappointed, and she was so sad. She wished she had never been made an angel.

“But wait,” she thought, “They are going to be singing to a group of shepherds and someone has to tell the shepherds what is taking place. They might be scared by all the big, LOUD, OLD angels. With my soft voice and pretty young face I’ll calm their fears. Surely they won’t be afraid of me.”


Yes, she just knew that this was what she had been created for, to tell the shepherds. Mimi was so sure that she hurried to God’s throne
and arrived
just in time

to hear another angel being told

what was to be said to the shepherds.

Mimi was filled with sadness. She regretted ever having come to God’s throne. She even regretted that she had ever been created in the first place. She wished she had never been made an angel.

She was turning to leave, when she heard to gentle voice of God call to her. “Mimi,” God said, “Come here. I have a very special task for you.”

Afraid now, herself, and a little embarrassed, she turned back to look into the face of God.

“I know how much you wanted to be Mary,” God told her, “but I have planned something else for you. I know how much you wanted to tell Mary about the Lord Jesus, but I created you for a special task.

I think you have a beautiful voice. It is soft and clear and all that I ever wanted it to be, but you were not created for the choir.”

With a smile of gentleness and understanding God told Mimi that, yes, she was gentle,
and kind
and that she would have done a great job
of telling the shepherds what He was doing, but He had a more important job than that for her.

God explained that He understood how she might be reluctant to be an angel anymore. God knew how disappointed she had been, but He had created her with a very special purpose in mind.


Patiently God told her that had she been chosen for one of those other jobs, she would not be available for the task for which God had created her, her own very special task.

God explained how much He loved her and how special she was. “Mimi,” God told her, “You are unlike any other angel in all of heaven, and I hope you will accept this most important assignment in the birth of my Son, Jesus. “

As God began to tell her about her special task she began to positively glow. The golden hair that she had once wished were brown or black or any color but golden, took on a brightness beyond anything ever known before. In fact she began to glow so brightly that even the stars were dimmed.

She left God’s throne room with renewed spirit. She realized now that everything about her had been created just for this purpose. How thankful she was that she had been created, created for her special mission.

There was so much to do, and she didn’t have a moment to waste. In a streak of golden light she left heaven bound for earth, bound for the Far East.

First she had to find three men, but not just any men—Kings, wisemen, Magi—men with special gifts for her special baby. You see, now the baby seemed to be hers, her special baby.

When she found the kings, it was her task to guide them to the place where the child lay, the baby Jesus. By now she was glowing so brightly that the wisemen mistook her for a star.

That was OK. It was part of God’s plan. Using the golden glow that was now all about her, she led these kings, these wisemen over the long and lonely miles of the desert.

It took a long time and Mimi had to be very patient. The wisemen traveled by camel and they were so slow. Some nights her light never even seemed to move at all. Onward she led them until finally they came to Bethlehem, to the place where the baby Jesus was.

She watched as the wisemen presented their gifts to Jesus. She smiled as she saw how even Kings worshipped her new Lord.

Now she began her final task for she was to shine her light in the darkness of the night. Shine with the brilliance of the Father, but also to shine with her special gentleness and softness.

The baby Jesus was not afraid of her light. Rather than fear, her light brought warmth and comfort. She brought peace and calm with her light.

Humming now a lullaby
in a voice soft as a whisper
she watched the baby sleep,
Her special baby,
and thought,

“How wonderful it is to be an angel.”


This is a fictional story,
but it has meaning for each of you.

You are a special creation
with abilities and talents
unlike anyone else.

God asks you to allow Jesus to be Lord of your life
and God will enable you to become more than
You could ever imagine.