"Angel" had {and has} a way of getting to the depths of my soul as few shows ever have. If youre not a believer who has a real faith, you likely cant relate. But for those who do, you can feel the genuine compassion that lies within this show.
It certainly helped that the show's creator, producer, and the three leads all had a professed faith in Christ. It brought a depth and authenticity to it that few programs could hope to exude.
During the course of the series, certain episodes had a way of hitting me deep in the gut. "Children" was certainly one of them. If you've ever worked with teens from broken homes, or those dealing with a myriad of other issues {as I have}, you get it. Those who are trying to just survive another day, having felt the hope of past dreams slowly removed from their current or future existence. Empty shells of their former selves who barely allow themselves to feel anything, if indeed they even remember how.
Street kids. Runaways. Dropouts. Little "adults" in a child's body who have fallen through the cracks of our culture, forced to experience far more than any child should ever have to. most only wanting one person to truly believe in them - as all the while we go about our lives, pretending not to see.
This episode is a powerful reflection of the true heart of this show, one that permeates and lingers long after the final scene. God knows we could use more shows today with the same heart that dont settle to only mindlessly entertain, but instead desire to have a lasting impact. "Angel" handles this with an understated subtlety, not pretending there are easy answers to save them all, but that with a little determined effort and a lot of empathy and compassion, maybe each of us can change the life of one. Or more than one. Because our reality is, this is what we were created to do.
It certainly helped that the show's creator, producer, and the three leads all had a professed faith in Christ. It brought a depth and authenticity to it that few programs could hope to exude.
During the course of the series, certain episodes had a way of hitting me deep in the gut. "Children" was certainly one of them. If you've ever worked with teens from broken homes, or those dealing with a myriad of other issues {as I have}, you get it. Those who are trying to just survive another day, having felt the hope of past dreams slowly removed from their current or future existence. Empty shells of their former selves who barely allow themselves to feel anything, if indeed they even remember how.
Street kids. Runaways. Dropouts. Little "adults" in a child's body who have fallen through the cracks of our culture, forced to experience far more than any child should ever have to. most only wanting one person to truly believe in them - as all the while we go about our lives, pretending not to see.
This episode is a powerful reflection of the true heart of this show, one that permeates and lingers long after the final scene. God knows we could use more shows today with the same heart that dont settle to only mindlessly entertain, but instead desire to have a lasting impact. "Angel" handles this with an understated subtlety, not pretending there are easy answers to save them all, but that with a little determined effort and a lot of empathy and compassion, maybe each of us can change the life of one. Or more than one. Because our reality is, this is what we were created to do.
