When Rebecca learned two of her four children had a rare degenerative disease, she traveled to Milan, Italy, to enroll them into a clinical trial. Gene therapy slowed their illness but offered no cure. She wondered why God would allow such a tragedy and leave her alone to deal with it. Gripped in sorrow, she tearfully confided, “My issues are trust and fear.”

Early in her difficult childhood, Rebecca had awakened on a stormy night. Through her window, she saw Christ surrounded by five small light-filled souls. He looked directly at her. “Rebecca,” he said, as if standing at her side whispering into her soul, “don’t ever be afraid. The storm will never hurt you.”

As she spoke, I saw her experience in my mind. I heard myself asking if she’d had another child. She confirmed she’d miscarried years earlier. “The souls you saw were your children,” I said, wondering where the words had come from. She nodded. “God didn’t leave you alone,” I said. “God came thirty years in advance of the storm to tell you not to be afraid.”

She told me of the night before her second child’s MRI. She’d seen a brilliant cross of light made up of words like Hope, Love, Grace, and Faith. She’d awakened with a knowledge of her son’s yet-to-be-confirmed diagnosis and an awareness of the divine compassion that would sustain her through the indescribable pain.

Life can be horrible, difficult, lonely, and confusing. It’s supposed to be that way. It doesn’t mean we’re alone or unloved. Spiritual experiences are the reservoir from which we draw hope and love when we feel devastated. Your image may not be a cross. Everyone’s experiences are different, but remember them. Don’t be afraid. You are loved.