( For over four decades I have written an original Christmas story usually intended for adult readers. This year I offer this story for the young and the young at heart)
Harold
Somewhere between here and there lived little Harold. And when I say little, I mean very, very little. So little as to almost be invisible. The Seraphim and Cherubim were so big that Harold was always running about to avoid being stepped on even though the biggest of the angels didn’t weigh anything.
All of Harold’s best friends had already earned their wings when he was summoned to appear before the throne of the Most High. On the day he was to appear he was met by one of the Archangels.
“I am here to bring you to see God.” The Archangel’s voice rang like thunder in the halls of heaven where little Harold lived. “Don’t be afraid.”
Afraid? Little Harold was scared out of his wits. If he had knees they would have been knocking together.
Once they arrived in the hallowed halls, the Archangel gently pushed little Harold.
“I told you there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Harold gulped before he inched his way toward the blinding light he saw before him.
“Harold,” the voice of God rang out like a trumpet, “so good of you to come and see me.”
Of course Harold didn’t know what to say since you’d have to be a very silly angel not to appear before God when he summoned you. Nonetheless, Harold tried to remain cool.
“No problem at all God. I was just hanging around doing nothing.”
“That’s good to hear,” God answered. “But I am sure you wondered why I wanted to meet with you.”
“The thought had crossed my mind,” Harold answered.
“I have a favor to ask you. I want you to go down to earth and deliver a message to three boys who were just born.”
Harold had heard about earth and if only half of what he had heard was true, he wasn’t too anxious to go down there, but God had a way of turning a suggestion into a command.
“What is it you want me to tell them?”
“I want you to go down and tell the three boys that one day in the near future I have a plan for them.”
“What’s the plan?”
“You need not worry your little head about the details. You will be planting a seed in their heads. A seed that will burst forth at the appointed moment in time.”
“So, let me see if I got this. You want me to go down to earth and tell three babies that God has a plan for them.”
“More or less, keeping in mind that I have a plan for all the people on earth, only this is one of those special plans that’s very important to me.”
Harold nodded trying to convince God that he understood when in fact he had no idea what he was expected to do. He smiled at God and turned to leave.
“Are you forgetting something, Harold?”
Harold turned. “Sorry, God. Thanks for taking the time to talk to me. You’ve got a nice place here.”
“Thank you, Harold. But don’t you want to know the name of the three babies you need to deliver my message?”
“I guess that would help,” Harold said.
“I thought so. You will deliver to the message to Gaspar, Melchior and Balthazar.”
“How will I find them?”
God placed his hand on Harold’s head.
“Understand?”
Harold nodded. “Perfectly.”
Later that same time, Harold dropped down to earth and paid a visit to the three babies. He whispered God’s message to them and was soon back to heaven where he was overshadowed by all the other angels.
In time God’s plan, not only for the three boys, but for the world, came at hand. There was much scurrying about in the halls of heaven and it seemed everyone but little Harold knew what was about to happen.
After nearly getting trampled by some thrones and dominions, Harold mustered up the courage to ask a Cherubim why everyone was so hyper in heaven.
“Tell me you don’t know.”
“I don’t,” Harold replied.
“Silly angel. Tonight the Son of God is to be born of a virgin in a stable in the town of Bethlehem.”
Now, little Harold didn’t know much about anything, but he did know that the Son of God deserved better accommodations than a stable. But come to think of it, God worked in strange ways.
“Sound like a big deal,” Harold finally said.
“The biggest, and we’ve all got a part to play.”
Harold must have missed the email because he was never given a part to play. But rather than coming off like he was out of the loop he played along.
“Oh, yeah. I forgot. I have my part to play.”
“I hope so,” the Cherubim said before flying off.
When the time came there was a big rush in heaven and all the angels descended on Bethlehem where they gathered to greet the Son of God.
Harold still had no idea what part he was going to play in all this. He had no real talents to speak of. He was shy and always managed to stay out of the spotlight. Other than his one quick visit to earth, Harold’s life as an angel was hum-drum and very ordinary.
But, when the big moment happened and the Son of God was born to Mary as had been foretold, there was a hush all over the world. A hush that was broken by little Harold who could contain himself no longer. Suddenly and coming from deep inside him, Harold burst out in a song that filled the air and spread across the earth.
Some distance away three young wise men who had been resting under a palm tree turned in the direction where the beautiful song was coming from. Gaspar, Melchior and Balthazar were, as they had been told when mere babes, following a majestic star in the sky.
Gaspar looked at Melchior and Balthazar and said, “Hark, Harold the angel sings!”
And while the star was a Harold Haroldvisible sign meant for the three wise men, it was the sound of Harold’s voice that filled their hearts and led them to the stable where they went to give the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the Son of God.
Following the birth of the Son of God, Harold was once again summoned to the throne of the Most High.
“So, Harold, were you impressed?”
“I hope I didn’t offend you by singing. I just don’t know what came over me. I never sang before in my whole angel life.”
“It’s one of the special gifts you were given. And now that you’ve showed me how wonderful you really are, I have an everlasting gift I want to give you.”
Harold was all ears…that is if angels have ears.
“From this day forward, I want you to appear in the heavens to remember this special night.”
“But, God, I’m so small, how will anyone ever see me among the many bigger stars you have spread across the heavens?”
“You don’t have to be the star of the east to get noticed. When people who believe in my message of good will and peace look up at the sky on Christmas, it is not with their eyes that they will see you, Harold, but with their hearts.”
To learn more about the illustrator of the angel, visit Iggy
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