Do You Know the Name of Your Guardian Angel?

Years ago a Bible study friend of mine talked about going shopping with Lenore. Who was Lenore? Her guardian angel. How did she know her name? She asked her.

So I began to ask my guardian angel what her name was. After several years with no results, I started calling her Grace. If she didn’t like that name, she could tell me what to call her.

Months went by with Grace and I doing things together. Mostly I called on her because of electrical storms, traffic jams, or nightmares. Sometimes I remembered her when I was joyful. She watched over me while I slept.

As I recuperated from injuries from a traffic accident, I couldn’t fulfill my responsibilities and I needed her. Early one morning after a difficult night, I tried to put myself in the presence of God by surrendering all my concerns, my pain, my unachieved goals and desires. In my weakness, the Holy Spirit gave me many graces. I received insights about several ministry projects, including new ways to use our website for evangelism. I sought guidance on a manuscript about joy that I was writing, but nothing came about that.

While I was in this listening position that God sometimes puts me in, I heard distinctly in my mind, “Her name is Joy.” I hadn’t even asked!

Immediately I thought of my dear friend Joy who is in heaven. I wonder if she had anything to do with answering my prayer about my angel’s name. How dear it is call my guardian angel by her name. Even though I know that humans don’t become angels when they go to heaven, I felt both “Joys” watching over me.

Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, a characteristic of God and sign of his presence in our lives. God is love, the first fruit. Joy, the second fruit, arises from the love of God within us.

Joy leads us to peace and to the other fruits of the Spirit as each fruit creates the next one. Love creates joy and joy makes us patient. Patience produces kindness; kindness leads to generosity. Generosity helps us to be faithful to God. That faithfulness makes us gentle and then we can master self-control.

My guardian angel Joy, as my heavenly liaison, connects me to God’s love and leads me to peace, at least when I cooperate. When I resist Joy by doubting God’s love, peace doesn’t come my way.

When I’m sad and can’t find Joy anywhere, I can call her into my world by singing praise songs to God, even when I don’t feel like it. Soon “I’ve got that Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy down in my heart!”

Do you know your guardian angel?

"The Guardian Angel" by Pietro da Cortona, 1656