“And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not” (John 1:5)

After a major near-death experience, a Catholic named Sharon Milliman, of Parkersburg, West Virginia, reports repeated “visitations” from the Lord, guiding her in how to conduct her life.

In so doing, He guides us all.

We always discern such cases — and will shortly be taking a closer look at this case (in a “special report”) — but the crucial point for now and for that matter the most important thing we can learn from any such experience and any religion has been emphasized again and again by the Lord, who Milliman recognized from not one but several brushes with death.

More on that later.

“He wore that beautiful smile that I knew so well,” she relates of one alleged “visit.” “Jesus was standing by the fence, over by the flower garden, with the sun shining down on Him. This time He was dressed in a cream-colored, long flowing robe and sandals. Jesus offered me a soft pink rose from His outstretched, open hand. Then He said:

“‘This life is a journey that all must take. You will never walk alone. I walk right there beside you. So hold your head up high and always spread your joy and love.

“‘Listen, quiet your heart, and be at peace for I am always with you.

“‘If you don’t hear Me talking, it’s because you are not listening.'”

God, He further told Milliman, doesn’t measure accomplishments in life as the world does. Simple, ordinary little things usually mean much more, He said, than accomplishments that are grandiose.

There are no big shots — no “celebrities” — in Heaven.

We have heard this from other near-deathers.

It is God and all God.

It is Jesus. It is the Holy Spirit.

While on earth, be humble as He was, as His mother was, as Joseph was.

Simple things like fixing dinner for the family, doing laundry, caring for an injured animal, planting flowers, giving money to someone who needs it, and picking up trash along the road are important to God, she says, when performed with love.

With love, the smallest task is monumental in the Eyes of the Lord.

Even though it’s tough for us to imagine, little by little, these tasks can change the world.

“Do not be afraid,” Jesus allegedly said. “Just love, that’s all. Just love. It’s that simple. That is the purpose of your life.

“When you feel torn and weary, give it to Me; remember, I am strongest when you are at your weakest. Don’t worry; I won’t leave you stranded. I will love you until beyond the end of time.”

Where there is love, learned Milliman, “there is joy.”

The trials of life are but growth opportunities. Take consolation, and counsel, from that!

“While I judge something as being ‘good’ or ‘bad,’ my angels discern events in terms of golden opportunities for healing my anger, fear, and pain,” she says, in a book we’re making available, A Song In the Wind, for discernment.

We must discipline our minds for love. All else takes a back seat.

No religion — no spirituality — works without it.

How much time do we waste quibbling over worldly and religious matters, how much time do we spend talking negatively, how many words are spent on criticality — when we could be emanating prayers and the right emotions?

We must become, says Milliman, “the mirror of truth and light.”

And the truth is that God is love.

“I felt God’s Love so completely during my near-death experience that it filled every fiber of my being,” says Sharon. “When I returned to my body, I lived in such a profound Oneness with God that my bliss carried me for months.”

Love is life and light.

Fear brings darkness. Where there is darkness, light cannot be.

On the other hand, where there is light, there is no darkness.

“Even on the cloudiest days or during a raging storm the sun is still always shining above those dark clouds,” she says. “In this manner, God’s Love is constant even when things in life seem terrible; His Grace is unending and is forever. It is not in His Will for us to be afraid. Fear and worry won’t stop bad things from happening in life but it will stop me from enjoying the good things in my life. Removing all fear is easier said than done. But even in those moments when I feel afraid, I find my comfort, my strength, and my courage through prayer. God always answers these prayers when I am open to Him.”

[resources: A Song In the Wind]

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