Miracles from Heaven Author Christy Beam Finds Purpose in Pain

Miracles from Heaven isn’t just a book or feature film, it’s a true story. Christy Beam never set out to be an author, but when her daughter Annabel experienced a miraculous healing, she felt compelled to share their journey. As she stepped out in faith, God opened doors, turning their story into a published book, a major motion picture, and, most importantly, a source of hope and inspiration for others.

At just 4 ½ years old, Annabel was diagnosed with two debilitating disorders: pseudo-obstruction motility disorder and antral hypomotility disorder. These conditions made it nearly impossible for her body to process food properly, causing years of pain and suffering.

Annabel was so overwhelmed by pain that one day she told her mom, “I just want to die and go to Heaven and be with Jesus, where there’s no more pain.”

Miracles from Heaven: A True Story

Christy admits that watching Annabel suffer was agonizing. But it wasn’t until she fully surrendered to God that everything changed, literally the same day as her surrender. “I finally told God, ‘Whatever happens, happens. If You take her, You take her. But You will still be God,’” Christy says.

That same day, Annabel and her sister, Abbey, decided to climb trees and ended up 30 feet in the air. Annabel was on a branch when she fell headfirst, dropping 30 feet into a hollowed-out cottonwood tree. She hit her head three times on the way down and landed on her skull at the base of the tree. She was trapped inside for about five hours, and something incredible happened—she was completely healed.

“During that time, she went to Heaven, sat on Jesus’ lap, and He told her she would be fine. He said that when the firefighters got her out, there would be nothing wrong with her.” And that’s exactly what happened. Annabel went from taking 10 medications every four hours to needing no meds at all. She became the only person on record to be healed from these two incurable disorders.

Longing to Go Back to Heaven

Annabel’s experience in Heaven was so beautiful and awe-inspiring that she longed to return. While she was there, she saw her great-great-grandma Mimi (her dad’s father’s mom) and her miscarried sibling. She didn’t speak with them, but while in Heaven, she was able to recognize them. She said the sibling looked just like her sister Abbie and her mother mixed together.

“Annabel almost had a death wish. She kept trying to do things that were very, very dangerous, things that could have killed her.”

Her dad finally had to sit her down and tell her, “You’re not coming back again. If you fall three stories and hit concrete like you’re trying to, you’re not coming back.”

Christy believes that God, in His mercy, took away the intensity of Annabel’s memory to stop her from desperately wanting to return to Heaven.

Related: Moms Who’ve Turned Trauma and Suffering Into Purpose

From Book to Big Screen

We don’t need to have a miraculous story to make an impact, but Christy shares how God used her family’s incredible experience for good. After the accident, Christy felt a strong nudge from God to write a book. She resisted at first, but a friend told her, “God wants you to write this book.”

She finally said yes, and after surrendering to God’s call, Christy sat down to write, and the words poured out of her. Once she finished the book, she felt God saying, “Now get out of My way, because I have a lot to do.”

Miracles from Heaven is now a New York Times best-selling book, which was later adapted into a major motion picture by Sony Pictures Entertainment. Starring Jennifer Garner and Queen Latifah, the film was praised as the “Inspirational Movie of the Year” in 2016 and earned an A+ CinemaScore rating.

Trusting God’s Plan

Through her family’s incredible journey, Christy wants people to know that God is faithful.

“He doesn’t work the way we expect Him to. People get mad when He doesn’t, and they blame Him. They get discouraged when He doesn’t, and they turn away from Him. But it’s really the reverse. God is saying, ‘If you will surrender and let Me be God, then I can do what only I can do.’”

Christy encourages others to share their stories, even if they’re unsure where to start.

“Get it down on paper. Get it out of your heart and your mind. If you truly feel like your story needs to be shared, there are ways to publish it, even if you self-publish. But more than anything, just write it. There is so much healing in that.”

For more on Christy and her family, visit www.ChristyBeam.com.

Or Listen to the Podcast Episode!