If we’re going to go all-in on following Christ, then we have to believe everything that Jesus tells us. One of the things that He tells us about (that we always seem to forget) is that angels are real! Not only are they real, but we each have one guarding us at this and every moment. How well do we actually know these invisible guardians, though?
One of the things in the Bible that seem so commonplace is the presence of angels. I look at my own life and I don’t see angels like they did in the Bible. In fact, I don’t ever think about angels. Every time I stop and think about them, I find myself fascinated by the fact that I have a guardian angel. But then I find myself asking, “What are angels?”
I did some research, and here are some interesting things that I found out:
1. Angels like to get dressed-up (kind of).
If you’re like me, then you may think that angels have halos and wings, or are (creepy) little babies. Both cases are incorrect. Angels are pure spirits, so they don’t actually have bodies at all. However, angels will assume a human body when the need arises (it’s pretty rare). This assumption of a body is sort of like how we dress up for Halloween; except their costume is perfect (I can never get my costumes the way that I imagined them).
2. They are super-geniuses (smarter than Tony Stark).
Angels don’t think like humans do. We use logic to get from one thought to the next, like so:
We are human.
God loves every human unconditionally.
Therefore, God loves all of us.
For angels, they just know that God loves everyone instantaneously. They don’t take any intermediate steps, they just reach the conclusion. They have insights constantly. Because of this, they are constantly contemplating things such as humans, other angels, and God.
3. They’re probably laughing at you right now.
Because angels are so smart, they find things very humorous. The more knowledge you know, the more puns you can make, the more things are ironic, and you are amused by more things. Angels aren’t laughing at us to be mean; they’re just amused by all of the weird things that we do. I assume that my guardian angel can never stop laughing because I’m so weird.
4. Angels are snowflakes.
As in each and every single angel is unique and different from any other angel, so much so that each angel could be considered a different species. This means that every angel has their very own, very different personality.
5. Angels can’t get bored.
Because they are outside of our space-time, angels have no chronological time, which means that they never wait, and they can’t get bored because they are part of the immaterial world. Not only that, but guardian angels are never bored because humans are the subject of their attention, and humans don’t end, they just keep going.
6. They love us.
It naturally follows that love follows knowledge. Because angels have the power to think (they are conscious) and the power to choose (they have free will); angels will the good of us, which is the precise definition of love. They have no other motive except to see us in heaven, where we belong.
7. Angels are telepaths.
Since they don’t have a body to speak with, they just communicate with one another by instantly sending their thoughts.
8. Angels are always in contact with God.
Even when they are paying attention to us, they are glorifying God and receiving whatever God wants them to know. Since they are beings outside of space, they can be present to more than one thing at any moment. This means that they operate on earth without ever leaving heaven.
9. They contain the space in which they operate.
I always imagined that my guardian angel would hover above me and to one side, but since they don’t have a body, it makes sense that they surround us at all times.
10. Angels are more beautiful than we can possibly imagine.
Because they are more like God than we are, they are more beautiful, because God is Beauty. Artists try and capture the beauty of angels, but they will always fall drastically short because there is nothing in this world that can describe or show such beauty.
11. They respect hospitality.
An ancient Jewish tradition to see if an angel visited would be to have some sort of food around and to offer it to the angel. Count the cookies or candies, or bananas (I don’t know what you have handy in your house), and offer one to it. Count again after the angel leaves, and if there is one less than what you started with, the angel assumed a body.
12. Angels don’t have a gender.
Gender is biological; it has nothing to do with the personality or spirit. Masculinity and femininity, on the other hand, transcend biology. This means that some angels may have more feminine personalities or more masculine personalities, but that doesn’t mean that they are male or female (again, that only has to do with biology). All angels that appear in the Bible appear masculine, most likely because in the culture back then, males were the authoritative figures. The tasks that the angels performed (guarding and delivering messages) were those of the male back then as well.
13. They appear to women more than men.
Women seem to be more intuitive and receptive, which may be the reason behind this. Angels are solely intuitive beings, so they might be on the same sort of mental wavelength as the female populace.
14. Angels are fearsome.
All angels are good, and that is all they can do to us. However, good does not mean comfortable. There is a reason that in the Bible, almost all the angels have to tell the people “Do not be afraid.”
15. They inspire us.
Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night and an idea popped into your head that you just had to write down so you wouldn’t forget it in the morning? Have you just been inspired to do something out of the ordinary, and it turned out to be extremely fruitful? Angels are always trying to inspire us with things that will lead us to heaven.
Angels are real and there is one that is protecting, guarding, guiding, enlightening, and loving you at this very moment. Make it a habit to acknowledge and thank your guardian angel more. When you’re having a rough day, pray to them with one of the first prayers that I ever learned:
Angel of God, my guardian dear,
To whom God’s love commits me here,
Ever this day be at my side,
To light and guard, to rule and guide.
In Christ’s love,
-Matt Muhich
Note: Not all of the information is official church dogma, but was taken from Peter Kreeft’s book Angels (and Demons). It is very well thought-out and sound information despite that. If you are looking for more information or you have more questions about angels, it’s the place to find it.
