These two, Barney and Betty, didn’t sit at breakfast figuring a way to get the attention of angels. They just kind of fell (almost fell) into a classic “building-a-boat-in-a-basement” type of error. Mountain climbers know that if going up without a rope is a challenge, going down is going to be worse(not having eyes in their feet). And they also know, instinctively that going down headfirst is against all rules and codes. In that kind of situation, having a handrail would be great. Sensible people know of course, that even a small one is impossible. But . . . maybe not altogether impossible. Take for instance, this mini-incident:

HANDRAIL
From Betty’s viewpoint:

It was a beautiful day in March with a high temperature of 70 degrees. Barney and I decided we would go hiking up Matthew Winters, a beautiful mountain just North of Morrison Colorado. We knew it would be quite muddy because of recent snow. We didn’t expect any problems, and if there was a problem, if it’s too bad, we could turn back.

Up to the mountain we went, turning our faces south, onto a trail that would take us about a mile up to the top.

When we came to a part of the trail that overlooks a valley with a small stream flowing through, although it was quite muddy, we walked down, keeping to the grass. Climbing up, we found a trail that provided footing. But part way up, it made a U turn. There it was completely covered with ice that went clear to the edge leaving not a single foothold. There was no way we would attempt that slippery slope with our hiking boots. If we got too close or slipped to the edge, we would slide off the trail and probably slip and bounce all the way down to the creek. So we decided to try going up the bank on the side of the trail and reconnect with the trail above. I attempted it but lost my footing part way up and slid back to where I started, getting my jeans all muddy. Barney gave it a try and grasping my arm, helped me up. We got back on the grassy, muddy trail and had no more problems the rest of the way to the top.

There, we had a snack and started back down. I was concerned that we would still have to get down that bank because it would be like suicide to try to negotiate the steep icy U turn. But, if we slipped going down that bank, we just might break or seriously bend something, or even slide all the way over the edge of the trail , and tumble down to the stream. We might lie wounded, with no one to help. As we were descending, a young man came jogging by. He stopped, turned around and said, “you know it’s kind of rough down there.” Barney said “yeah we know that;” and I said, “I’ve been dreading it.” He offered to jog down there and wait to help us down.

“Barney,” I said, “there really are some nice considerate young men.” When we got there, true to his promise, he was waiting for us. He had his shirt off and wrapped around his waist. And was quite tall, coming almost to the top of the bank. He raised his arm and said, “I’ll help you down, grab hold of my arm, not my hand, because I’ll have a steadier support for you” He was surprisingly stable, bringing me easily down and across the ice that covered the trail. Then he turned and helped Barney down.

As we turned from him to go down the trail, I looked back to give him a wave of thanks, but he had disappeared. He didn’t run by us, or go off the path. And going down, we could see the entire side of the mountain. There was no one, no movement, nothing to hide behind. What happened to that sweet young man, we asked each other.

All we know is that angels have a habit of vanishing once their assignment is complete. We also know they come in the right size and strength to fit the situation. They look and act just like people. They are also outfitted with the right type of shoes. (All that, I’m sure, was no coincidence.)

So we knew God had helped us with two angels?

These two, Barney and Betty, didn’t sit at breakfast figuring a way to get the attention of angels. They just kind of fell (almost fell) into a classic “building-a-boat-in-a-basement” type of error. Mountain climbers know that if it’s tough going up without a rope, it’s going to be really tough getting down (not having eyes in their feet). And they also know, instinctively that going down headfirst is against all rules and codes.

We need to be thankful that God doesn’t expect perfect from we-who-are-dust. He just smiles(I think) and dispatches an angel to be a handrail.

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