In the middle of the suffering, the desperation, the darkness of night when all seems lost, it is then that we most need a miracle. Sometimes an unexpected light will appear to show the way, grant new hope, or illuminate the truth about our nature and the faith and courage we hold deep within. It is in the cold, still, suffocating darkness that a light, even a tiny one, is most needed and shines the brightest.

It is in such darkness that I found myself and felt I was lost, forever captive to invisible chains and unseen captors of hell itself. Surprisingly, this is where I have also found the light is shining, brilliant beyond description, in beauty and power. If a light can shine in my life, it can shine anywhere. So we seek the unexpected, allow ourselves to be surprised by it. Just as the slowly rising sun chases away the questions and fears of the night, this light of Christ, love, and the human spirit brings us unexpected courage and hope to chase away the scars, fears and questions we carry, illuminating the corners where the shadows seem so deep. It is when all seems lost, and the darkness seems to be suffocating our very lives that this light suddenly shines.

I am a living witness that this is truth. I remain in this life to declare that light does shine in darkness, illuminating a way through suffering to promise and healing when it seems all possibilities have been exhausted. It is never too late to heal. No one is ever too far gone to come back. No one is ever too lost to be found. I am a living story of what an unexpected light can do to the darkness of a seemingly lost life.