On Becoming Angels

Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.
--2 Nephi 32:3--

The above is such a simple scripture, with such profound doctrine. We learn that angels are moved to speak by the power of the Spirit, upon which they testify of Jesus Christ. In reading the verse prior, we see that those who receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost can speak with the "tongue of angels (2 nephi 32:2)". That means that all who receive the Holy Ghost are entitled to be angels when they testify of Christ. What a promise! But how is it done?

Luckily, through revelation Heavenly Father has set out an infrastructure by which we may become angels in the lives of others. First, we all have talents, and these are added upon if we choose to use them to serve (see Matt. 25: 15-16, 20, 22, 24-25, 28). Second, we are given avenues by which we can serve others in our unique way (as dictated by our God-given strengths), namely callings and assignments within the Church. If we take advantage of this infrastructure with service to others in mind, we may become angels for those around us.

However, this only can occur if we stay close to the Spirit. Angels are moved upon and speak by the power of the Holy Ghost, which only has effect to move us if we live in such a way that invites him to stay. This is so essential, as the call to serve almost never comes at a time of our most convenience (see http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1117-20,00.html). But when the call does come, we must be ready. Consider the story related by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in the October 2008 General Conference:

When we speak of those who are instruments in the hand of God, we are reminded that not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk with—here, now, every day. Some of them reside in our own neighborhoods. Some of them gave birth to us, and in my case, one of them consented to marry me. Indeed heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind. Elder James Dunn, from this pulpit just moments ago, used that word in his invocation to describe this Primary choir—and why not? With the spirit, faces, and voices of those children in our mind and before our eyes, may I share with you an account by my friend and BYU colleague, the late Clyn D. Barrus. I do so with the permission of his wife, Marilyn, and their family.

Referring to his childhood on a large Idaho farm, Brother Barrus spoke of his nightly assignment to round up the cows at milking time. Because the cows pastured in a field bordered by the occasionally treacherous Teton River, the strict rule in the Barrus household was that during the spring flood season the children were never to go after any cows who ventured across the river. They were always to return home and seek mature help.

One Saturday just after his seventh birthday, Brother Barrus’s parents promised the family a night at the movies if the chores were done on time. But when young Clyn arrived at the pasture, the cows he sought had crossed the river, even though it was running at high flood stage. Knowing his rare night at the movies was in jeopardy, he decided to go after the cows himself, even though he had been warned many times never to do so.

As the seven-year-old urged his old horse, Banner, down into the cold, swift stream, the horse’s head barely cleared the water. An adult sitting on the horse would have been safe, but at Brother Barrus’s tender age, the current completely covered him except when the horse lunged forward several times, bringing Clyn’s head above water just enough to gasp for air.

Here I turn to Brother Barrus’s own words:

“When Banner finally climbed the other bank, I realized that my life had been in grave danger and that I had done a terrible thing—I had knowingly disobeyed my father. I felt that I could redeem myself only by bringing the cows home safely. Maybe then my father would forgive me. But it was already dusk, and I didn’t know for sure where I was. Despair overwhelmed me. I was wet and cold, lost and afraid.

“I climbed down from old Banner, fell to the ground by his feet, and began to cry. Between thick sobs, I tried to offer a prayer, repeating over and over to my Father in Heaven, ‘I’m sorry. Forgive me! I’m sorry. Forgive me!’

“I prayed for a long time. When I finally looked up, I saw through my tears a figure dressed in white walking toward me. In the dark, I felt certain it must be an angel sent in answer to my prayers. I did not move or make a sound as the figure approached, so overwhelmed was I by what I saw. Would the Lord really send an angel to me, who had been so disobedient?

“Then a familiar voice said, ‘Son, I’ve been looking for you.’ In the darkness I recognized the voice of my father and ran to his outstretched arms. He held me tightly, then said gently, ‘I was worried. I’m glad I found you.’

“I tried to tell him how sorry I was, but only disjointed words came out of my trembling lips—‘Thank you … darkness … afraid … river … alone.’ Later that night I learned that when I had not returned from the pasture, my father had come looking for me. When neither I nor the cows were to be found, he knew I had crossed the river and was in danger. Because it was dark and time was of the essence, he removed his clothes down to his long white thermal underwear, tied his shoes around his neck, and swam a treacherous river to rescue a wayward son.”12

I think it's important to recognize a couple of things here. First off, someone is always in need in some way. If we stay close to the Spirit, and have charity toward others, we can be there for them when they need us most. Second, as we lay aside convenience, we go against the grain to develop our sense of selfless service. But like any muscle, it takes difficulty and trial to become better. I hope the above story helps us see that it is so essential to do so. We are of the greatest service when we can help those who have hit their wit's end. But this doesn't come automatically. We will only ever be in the position to be of ultimate service until after we gain the trust of those we serve. Let us first be loving and trusting, so those we serve have an example to follow. Let us be the shoulder to cry on, the friend who understands, the home or visiting teacher who is in the right place at the right time.

Lastly, let us all understand that being an angel in the lives of others doesn't preclude us from receiving angels ourselves. We need to let others help us, and humbly accept when we have done "all that we can do" (2 Nephi 25:23). It is my testimony that we have been placed around other people not just so that we can mingle. It is so we can help and be helped. Let us seek to do good:

Have I Done Any Good in the World Today?

Have a great week!