Translate this blog.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Touched By an Angel




This is a personal and true story that covers about 45 years of my life. I am a person  with a strong faith in Christ. I have from the time when I was very young and my mother can recount a story when I was six and she found me witnessing to a friend whose family were atheists. Even in my darkest moments of my life I have never questioned my faith. It is deeply personal and I don't feel a need to justify my faith to others. I have known people who have ridiculed my faith. That doesn't bother me. My faith is about my relationship to the God of my understanding. My own salvation is a full time preoccupation and I do not judge where others stand in the sight of God or whether they stand at all because they do not believe. It's not my business. It matters nothing to me whether those who have the same faith as I, believe that I am sinning by being a transsexual. I do not believe I am comitting a sin for being who I am. Similiarly, those who would criticize me for my faith in God matter nothing to me. I am who I am and I am comfortable with that. I'm not bothered either way and don't judge them negatively in their criticism of me.
 
It is important for readers of this article to know that I was named Michael firstly after the Archangel Michael and also because of my Geat Grandfather Michael who died when I was about 4 years old.
 
When I was about 8 or 9 years old, I awoke to the presence of a towering angel beside my bed. This angel wore white clothing and had huge black wings. The angel touched me on the forehead with his right wing three times. Being a young child, I was terrified by the angel's presence. I had no way of making sense of the angel's visitation or what being touched three times  I knew he was an angelic being, but I was too young to know what all of this meant, much less that this angel was one of a number of kinds of angels. Did you know that there are many different types of angels arranged in a heirachy? Within this heirarchy there are several classifications of angels grouped into spheres or "choirs". Most of us will recognize that there are Archangels, Cherubim and Seraphim.
 
There are nine types of angels arranged in the following order. Members of the first choir of angels in order are Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones. Seraphim are the closest to God and there are only four of them who are identified. Their purpose is to praise God and protect God's throne. Cherubim are God's intercessors and they also protect the throne of God. Thrones are responsible for dispensing God's judgement and are the intercessors for angels of other orders.
 
In the second choir of angels, there are Dominions who administer over  the duties of all angels and grant power to government leaders as well as other people in positions of authority. Virtues are angels who control the elements, govern over nature and perform miracles. They give us courage, strength and valor. Powers control the boundaries of heaven and earth. They are warrior angels and preside over birth and death. They engage in spiritual warfare with demons.
 
The third choir of angels include Principalities whose responsibility is being in charge of the world's cities, towns and and nations. They take charge of religions and politics. (I note specifically "religions" as the three great monotheistic religions- Christianity, Judaism and Islam all recognize the existence of angels.) Archangels are the chief angels. They are the guardians of all people and all things of the physical world. They are God's messengers to people in critical times. Finally, there are Angels who carry our prayers to God and bring us God's answers to our prayers as well as providing nurturing, healing and counseling us.
 
There are also the fallen angels, or demons. I will speak no further of them. I do not invite them or allow access to my spiritual life, though I do believe that they indeed exist.

For most of my life, I had never seen or head of an angel with black wings, nor had anyone with whom I had ever shared this story. I wondered what it meant for the angel to touch me three times. I wondered if it meant that I would die before the time I was 30 years old. Having lived through a series of car accidents (not my fault) that I had no right to walk away from, I knew that this was not the meaning of the angel's visit, but I was no closer to understanding my experience. By all rights, I should have been killed five times over. So this mystery went on for about the next 30 years, until I was 38.

(This is the picture I saw when I was 38)

That year I went to the local book fair that is held 8 or 9 times a year and has literally thousands of books on all imaginable topics. Not looking for anything in particular, I came across a book on angels in the Religion section. There in that book was a picture of an angel with black wings, but it had no information on this angel. It was then that I knew my visitation was real, even if I was no closer to understanding why I had been visited by this angel.



It would be another 16 years before I learned why this angel came to me at a very young age. My answer came about 10 days ago and I have only shared this revelation with four of the people I am most close to.

Once again I began to think about the angel I had been visited by and I decided to do another of many searches to learn what this meant. I began to search the internet and while beginning to find pictures of angels with black wings, I also came across what I have come to know to be my answer.

In order to understand this better, I have to share that I was the victim and I am a survivor of physical, emotional and sexual abuse. This went on for about 3 and a half years before it was ended. The way I was able to overcome the legacy of this trauma was to come to the recognition that it is no longer happening to me and if I allow it to affect my life now, I would continue to give the power to perpetrators of the abuse and allow them to revictimize me even after all these years. I refuse to allow this to happen any more.

I learned that the angel who came to me, and who I read about was the Arcangel Michael. The reason that he was revealed to me having black wings was described because in this manifestation, he is a warrior angel and an angel of protection, He came to me to let me know that I would be kept safe from the things I would have to live through to carry out God's plan for my life. The reason for being touched on the forehead three times? I was being blessed and protected in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I am so thankful for that protection and blessing.

I have always believed that whatever talent I have as a therapist is not of me and is a gift from my God as I understand him. I am only the vehicle of healing that I am able to use in helping others. That is the only reason that I am still here is to fulfill my purpose. I hope that I will always live up to that mission.

 

3 comments:

  1. I appreciate your openess, Sherri, in recounting your experiences and testifying about your faith.

    I am a born again Christian and my faith has kept me down through the years very well. I could try to explain my faith in Jesus Christ and the gospel, and despite plenty of evidence of the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, one must find faith, because after all if we could irrefutably prove, then it wouldn't be faith, yes?

    I was rescued by an angel when I was 3 years old when I was separated from my dad while downtown shopping. This angel delivered me back to my dad.

    I also have known God from an early age, and I suppose partially because I prayed as a child but I always seem to recall a fear of God, but also an understanding that God loved me, even before I read about that love in the Bible. I remember one day in first grade waiting alone at a bus stop and just feeling the presence of God there with me, sort of a reassurance, that I still can not properly define, but it was a constant reminder to me that God was there and knew all about me.

    Through my developing years, however, I strayed and fell into drugs and alcohol like many who use these mechanisms to hide their inner gender. God delivered me from drugs and alcohol instantly then baptized me in God's spirit at 19. I always knew from that point I was a child of God.

    So someone may ask, "why then didn't God deliver you from your gender incongruety?" My response is,"God can't deliver one from themself, my real gender is part of the real me." I can't explain why some of us seem born in the wrong body. I've tried to relationlize it, but I come up with no answer I can really buy. All I know is I believe God led me into transition and made the way possible. He gave me grace to stay a "man" for as long as I did until God decided to bring my change.

    I a now a woman of God, but I always was, however not recognized as such.

    I believe, Sherri, you and I suffered, so others also suffering, may find hope in our testimony. We are all made to be worshippers of God and that is the most basic reason we exist in any gender.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Everyone responds differently at different time but each of us comes to the point of recognizing who we are and what our purpose or goal is. I am glad you found yours and are helping others to find theirs. as The Jewish people say Mazel Tov

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sherri Lynne, this is a much more interesting than the football game, at least from my perspective!

    I've never seen an angel that I know of. The Bible does implore us to be hospitable since we may be entertaining angels unaware. Wouldn't be the first thing I was unaware of.

    I published my testimony on Pe a while back. God mercifully called me when I was 12 via a dream. I didn't see God. I didn't see Jesus. I didn't see an angel. What I did see was me, the little child who led blind Samson into the Philistine temple. I was there when Samson pushed on the pillars and I woke up just before a huge cylindrical stone from one of the pillars crushed out my little life.

    All I know for sure is that God is love, and in His love and out of His mercy He came to me and He has been with me since then. All that I am is from Him. I owe my all to Him. He is my strength and ever present help in trouble. I could not possibly have made it all this time without Him.

    I worship You, almighty God. There is none like You!
    I worship You, oh Prince of Peace. That is what I want to do!
    I give You praise, for You are my righteousness.
    I worship You, almighty God. There is none like You!

    Thank you for being so transparent with us. Your story is indeed poignant and inspiring.

    ReplyDelete