Back in 2004, I went through one of the most difficult seasons of my life. I struggled deeply, briefly stepped away from college, and found myself praying constantly but feeling like my prayers went unanswered for years. I never stopped believing in God, but I began to wonder if He was really there.

In July of 2022, when I first started working with my coach, he talked to me about paying attention to signs. Around that time, my youngest daughter had drawn several pictures with huge bubble letters that said, “In God We Trust.” She didn’t just draw it once; she made four different versions. My coach told me that message was for me. I remember feeling taken aback, but from that moment on, I started paying close attention.

As part of my coaching, I did a regression session. During my session, my coach asked me what I wanted to sit on before starting. Without thinking much about it, I said a wooden bench.

In the call, there was a presence. A shadowy figure that would not show its face.

I did my regression on a Friday afternoon while my girls were at their dad’s house for the weekend. I didn’t share with anyone what came up nor did I analyze it yet...that was for my follow-up with my coach. They did not return until Monday after school. The following Tuesday night, around 9 p.m., my oldest daughter called me into her room, she had drawn me a picture and wanted to show me. I walked in, and my eyes immediately went to an image she drew. I asked her if she had drawn a boat.

She replied, “No mom, it’s a wooden bench.”

It wasn’t just the bench. She had drawn what showed up in my regression session. The bench was there along with a message that stopped me in my tracks.

I immediately asked her where she got the idea, and she looked at me and said, “It just came to me and I drew it.”

In that moment, I knew I wasn’t walking through life by myself.

 Since then, I’ve realized that even in seasons that feel uncertain or hard, signs of hope and understanding often show up quietly, in ways we might not notice at first. If we stay open those lessons and moments often appear when we least expect them.

Encouragement does not always arrive in obvious ways. Sometimes it shows up quietly…a conversation, a song, a note, a reminder, or even your child’s drawing. Whether you follow a faith, are questioning it, or do not believe, I hope my story reminds you that when you cannot see it yet, something may still be unfolding.

Sometimes the answers don’t arrive loudly...they show up quietly in moments we almost miss.