In 1847, the pastor of a church in Orleans, France, noticed that an unusual thing began to happen in his church. Nearly every day, at one o’clock, a soldier would come and stay in the church until three o’clock. The priest could tell that this soldier was both pious and noble. There was nothing sinister about him. But his behavior was odd none the less…

Almost every day, the soldier entered the church, and walked straight down the aisle. He stopped before reaching the Sanctuary, and turned around. Then he stood there, straight as a board, not stirring from his position for two whole hours. Once the time had passed, however, he simply left as quietly as he’d come, very likely to return the next day and do it all over again.  

One day, a devout captain came to visit the church. The priest, who had been silently observing the soldier’s unusual habit, explained everything to the captain, wondering what to make of it. Shortly after the story was told, in comes the soldier as usual. He walked right past the priest and captain, and resumed his usual post in front of the Sanctuary. The captain immediately recognized him, for this soldier was his confidential servant! The good captain promptly went up to his soldier and asked what he was doing there.

“Captain,” the soldier replied, “I am keeping two hours’ sentry before the good God. There are sentries everywhere. In Paris, the president has four. Here, my general has two. The prefect has a sentry; the bishop has one, and so on. Now the good God is greater than all these, and yet He has no sentry. So I go on duty for Him when I have free time. And I assure you that the time is not long, for I love Him, as you do yourself, captain.”

The captain was touched to hear this simple, loving dedication to the King of kings. He heartily encouraged his soldier to continue his good work and keep watch for God.

God is real, and so is everyone else in Heaven. It is so very easy to forget about Them because we cannot see Them. Neither could that soldier, but when he noticed how important human beings get so much attention, he realized that God should get at least the same concern, if not more. While there were many sentries for others, there was no sentry for God. The soldier was going to stand watch in protection for God in the church, just as he would for any person of dignity. He was going to give to God what everyone else gave to humans all the time -  while the God that made them is ignored.

So let us try every day to remember just how real and loving the People in Heaven actually are. They’re not a last resort in desperate cases after all human solutions have failed. They are part of our life. They really are our good Friends. They want to be asked for help when your math problems drive you crazy. They want to make the time pass easier for you when you’re stuck alone at a sink full of dishes. They want to share your happiness and excitement on those great, fun days that you never forget. Talk to Them about everything. Invite Them to both work and play with you. They are there for everyone, just waiting for us to ask Them.