When my infant son Dylan was miraculously healed of kidney disease after being prayed over by a healing priest, I was on fire with the Holy Spirit. My prayers had been answered in a profound way, and my world had been rocked.

Where before I had believed in God and prayed for healing miracles, now I had witnessed one first hand and had had an undeniable mystical experience, which profoundly increased my faith in God’s presence with us on earth. My life was changed forever.

I wanted to shout it from the rooftops: “God heals! Miracles happen!” When I did start telling people what happened, I quickly realized that sharing faith is about more than just miracle stories.

People have very real, very deep emotions and even anger at God, due to the unanswered prayers of their own lives. Many people doubt that God heals today like He did when He walked the earth. Instead of being the inspiration I hoped for, I learned that sharing miracle stories can trigger pain, anger, doubt, grief and other primal unprocessed emotions in many people, which need to be worked through.

I think this is understandable. Though I have been blessed with the gift of faith through trials, I have certainly gone through the gamut of emotions about seemingly unanswered prayers over the years.  Grief isn’t an easy process, and many people get stuck in it and lose their faith along the way.

I’ve realized that sharing faith with others is about more than sharing the spiritual highs and miracles we are blessed with. Though miracles can increase hope, truly sharing faith requires us to walk with people through pain, connecting to them on an emotional level through the trials of life and supporting their efforts to seek God through it all.

This is ultimately what Jesus did on the cross. In taking on the fullness of human suffering and even injustice, He emotionally and mystically connected with every human experience in order to redeem our relationship with God.

God has always tried to draw people to Him by connecting with us, wherever we are emotionally. For example in the Psalms, we are blessed with the full expresssion of every human emotion in right relationship to God. They help us realize that nothing we go through is new or unique – suffering is just a normal part of the spiritual journey, as are glorious unfathomable miracles.

As Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart I have overcome the world.”

Through my writing over time, I hope to share the fullness of the trials and joys of what it really means to walk in a life of faith. Hopefully I’ll connect with some aching hearts along the way and help them open up to the infinite miraculous possibilities, which are born of faith.

What experiences have you had with miracles and unanswered prayers? Comment below, and I’ll lift you in prayer, wherever you’re at on your faith journey. God bless you to live a life rich with faith and miracles, even through hard times.