I was eighteen years old.
My mother was renting three rooms in a house near the hospital where she practised medicine. I had come home for the holidays. That night, she was on duty at the hospital. After she left, I locked the front door and went to sleep.
Sometime during the night, I was awakened by loud voices. Our elderly watchman was sleeping outside my locked door. I heard the drunken voice of the house owner ordering him to move aside so that he could come into my room. He shouted and raved angrily. The watchman shouted back and refused to move.
It took me a few moments to realise that I was in danger—and that this frail, elderly man was placing himself between me and a young, intoxicated, violent man. All I could do was pray. There were no mobile phones then, and there was no way to contact my mother.
After what seemed like an eternity, everything became quiet. The house owner retreated to his rooms.
I was safe.
I have often thought about that night. How courageous that watchman was. Despite his age and the danger to himself, he stood his ground to protect a vulnerable young girl. He owed me nothing, yet he risked everything.
Our world is sustained not only by celebrated heroes but also by countless unsung guardians like him—ordinary people who quietly choose courage over fear, duty over convenience, and another person’s safety over their own. Their names are seldom remembered, and their deeds rarely recorded, yet their acts of selfless bravery shape lives in ways they may never know. Looking back, I realise that this humble watchman was one such guardian. I never had the opportunity to thank him; he must have passed away many years ago. Wherever his soul rests, I want to say, “Thank you.” Your courage may well have changed the course of my life.
Above all, I thank Jesus, my eternal Protector, in whose sight I am “the apple of His eye.” Even when I could not see His hand, He had already placed someone at my door. Sometimes God answers our prayers not with miracles that defy nature, but by giving ordinary people extraordinary courage at exactly the right moment.
