Dave grew up in a semi-religious home—his mother quite active in her faith, his father not so much. As a 12-year-old, Dave shared a bedroom with his 15-year-old brother. They worked the land near their rural Idaho home.

One night, Dave woke to the shocking realization he was floating far above his bed, just inches from the ceiling. Horrified and unable to speak, he called upon fragments of religion as they raced through his young mind.

Dave managed to bring his right arm to a square—something he’d seen people do in a religious context—and he mustered a modicum of authority by invoking the name of God. He successfully commanded the malevolent presence to depart.

As amazing as Dave’s experience was, what he told me next stunned me.

When he was 17, Dave confided to his older brother in a letter about the experience he’d had years earlier. To his surprise, his older brother wrote back, “You think you were scared! I’m the one that saw you floating in the air.”

Neither had discussed their respective experiences. They could have been supporting one another, but neither knew what the other had witnessed or felt.

Not all spiritual experiences are to be held in silence. Some are given to enable us to help one another. Think about sharing.