Angels in the Outfield

When I was 31, a movie titled “Angels in the Outfield” was playing in the movie theatres.  Critics hated it, and if you check out “Rotten Tomatoes” you’ll see it didn’t fare too well with audiences either.  However, I loved it.

Maybe I’m a sucker for a schmaltzy sports movie, but the story of the foster kid Roger – who loves the Anaheim Angels despite their no-win streak, and who begs for help from on high for his flagging team, always made me smile.

The Bible tells us that angels exist and that God uses them in many ways.  They:

  • ·         Relay messages from Him (Genesis 22:11-22)
  • ·         Praise and worship Him (Isaiah 6:2-3)
  • ·         Provide protection for His people (Psalm 91:11-12)

The Bible also tells us they walk among us.  What an incredible thought!

My husband Jim is convinced he has encountered more than one angel.  He says one came to him as a woman, a stranger he didn’t know, who warned him about an upcoming vehicle accident.  He says the other was a man he met at the San Antonio airport who, unprompted, showed him a Bible verse that answered a spiritual question Jim had been wrestling with for a long time; then looked at him and said, “angels are messengers of God.”

Joan Osborne once sang, “What if God was one of us, just a slob like one of us, just a stranger on a bus – tryin’ to make his way home?”

And Jesus said, “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Finally, Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”

Those words are the ones I think of when I give money or a meal to someone on the corner.  They are ones that prompt me to smile for no reason at people I see throughout the day. 

I wonder if the reason we don’t always recognize the angels in our lives is because we’re too busy taking care of our own needs, our own desires, and our own interests.  I would hate to be someone who neglected God or one of His angels because I was too busy thinking of myself.

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