Angel Feathers

On my first trip to Haiti, a family loaned me their video camera. At that time, they were extremely expensive, but they insisted I take it. Unknown to me, the camera had a loose screw on the eye piece. In the middle of about a hundred school kids or more, it fell to the ground. This little fellow about seven years old tugged on my pant leg and held it up to me. God gave me an angel feather.

How many little boys would have carried this shiny object home to entertain himself? And how did he know it belonged to me? I was shocked and relieved at the same time. I carefully reattached it.

Well, the story doesn’t end there. We walked about a mile to the main road to catch a ride. Bro. Edward Green, my hero and spiritual father, flagged down a Haitian tap-tap (taxi) which is no more than a small pickup with a brightly painted homemade cover on the back. The tap-tap stopped directly in front of our quarters to let us off, on a busy main road with a lot of foot traffic, bicycles, and even ox carts.

We went inside and I immediately noticed the eye piece was missing again. With a sad look on my face, I told Bro. Edward it was missing and I was going out to the road to see if it was there. He told me later, he thought I was wasting my time because of the distance we had walked, the bumpy ride on the tap-tap, and the busy roadway. I was praying, “Please Lord let it be there; how can I pay this family back for the camera?” I barely had scraped up the money for the trip.

I returned to our hopping off place. The odd makers in Las Vegas would have horse-laughed at my odds of finding the eye piece. There it lay on the ground just like a piece of diamond on a jeweler’s black velvet display. Wow! Two angel feathers in one day.

Sometimes God gives us a feather from one of His angels. It is the unexplained blessing at just the right time. You know the feeling! When there is more month than money left, and you find twenty bucks in your coat pocket. You are emotionally down, and a friend calls at just the right time. You lose your wallet and find it in the oddest place. The unexpected and the unexplainable is like a feather from one of God’s angels.

Often, that is all we need. Just a little candle flicker in the darkness. A warm hug when you feel cold. A rainbow to remind you of God’s promises. Even a ladybug with a hello from God. Sometimes it is a smile from a stranger. A reconnection with an old friend. One more donut in the box.

I have never seen an angel that I was certain of, but I have caught a few fluttering feathers from an angel or two. These angel feathers are manifest tokens from an invisible God who sees us, hears our whimpering heart, catches our tears, and soothes our troubled hearts with the Holy Comforter. Yes, He loves us; didn’t you see the angel feather?

“Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14 NKJV)?

If you are going through a tough time, watch out for the angel feathers—they are everywhere! God loves you and what concerns you, concerns Him!

Yours on the Journey,

Harry L. Whitt

PS: A text conversation with my niece Pamela inspired this post.