Miracles from Heaven (2016)

Title: Miracles from Heaven (2016; PG)
Director: Patricia Riggen
Major Themes: Miracles, True Stories
Synopsis: After her daughter Anna is diagnosed with an incurable genetic problem, Christy Beam searches for a way to help her—but all hope seems lost, until the day Anna has a freak accident.

I was first introduced to Miracles from Heaven last year, while I was staying with an older couple for about six weeks while I helped their son and his family. Often, I’d leave before 8 am and wouldn’t be back until 8 or sometimes later in the evening. They were rich, full days, and I enjoyed the work. Some nights, though, I got back a bit earlier than normal. Those were precious times to relax and rejuvenate. One night, I got back in time to work on some writing I was wanting to do—but as I walked through the living room to get to my bedroom, I saw that they had a movie going. As the climax drew closer, it got harder and harder to block the noise out (the TV was just outside my bedroom door), so I finally gave up trying to think and joined them to watch the ending. Seeing that, I knew I wanted to see the first part eventually. And I finally got my chance!

When tragedy strikes the family from an unexpected source—their daughter getting violently ill—Kevin and Christy Beam are at their wit’s end trying to figure out what to do to help her. The doctors think she’s fine, that it’s just a severe case of the stomach flu, but Christy doesn’t believe it. Something is wrong, and she is determined to get help. After pushing, she finally gets someone to run tests on her daughter—and when the results come back, it’s worse than they thought it might be. She has an incurable genetic condition, and, barring a miracle, it will kill her. Can they hold onto their faith and do their best for her, even when that means many nights of pain and questions they can’t answer?

As someone who has worked as a carer, I felt like Miracles from Heaven especially pulled at my heartstrings. The girl I helped take care of also had a fatal genetic problem, and though hers affected her abilities rather than just making her sick, I really felt like I could relate to some of the things this family had to face. It isn’t easy, at all, and even harder to live through when you’re a parent rather than just a friend. We all know what our response should be to things like this, but it’s always different when you get there. I appreciated that this showed the parent’s faith wavering at times—it was very realistic, and multiple times, I caught myself crying along with them. Being a true story, this isn’t always a happy movie! But it does have a happy ending, which I was also thankful to see.

If you like to be reminded of God’s hand in our lives—His absolute, unchanging love for us and power to work in us—this is an excellent movie for that. I love knowing that it actually happened, and look forward to when I can share it with my family. Miracles from Heaven is one I wouldn’t mind having on my shelf!

Note: I mentioned this briefly in the warnings, but I did want you to see this. There is an out-of-body experience near the end of this movie, where a girl goes to heaven and sees some beautiful things before returning to her body. I know some people would be uncomfortable with that. Personally, I believe it’s possible, and they only showed scenes of fields and trees, etc., not God, but if you are cautious about such things, I would recommend trying to preview it before you watch this as a family. To preview: watch from approximately 1:12:18 on, for the next 5 minutes or so (may not last that long).

WARNING: From 2:49 – 3:10, a man is going shirtless, and then there is a kiss until 3:24. There is a worship band at church from 3:33 – 4:20. From 9:10 – 9:40, a girl gets sick. There are two kisses at 10:38 – 10:50, some shouting from 15:29 – 15:38, and an argument from 29:00 – 29:48. My gosh is used at 38:21, 40:48, and 40:55. There is another argument from 48:55 – 49:14, and a kiss from 1:08:40 – 1:08:44. Throughout this time, there are different scenes with a very sick girl. From 1:13:00 – 1:14:09 there is an accident, from 1:17:57 – 1:19:50 there are scenes of a girl with cuts and blood on her face, and then from 1:22:01 – 1:12:18 there are more scenes of the hurt girl, followed by her out of body experience in heaven.

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Woodlawn (2015) Fireproof (2008) Facing the Giants (2006) War Room (2015)