Book excerpt: It’s unnerving, isn’t it? When our faith feels ungrounded, untethered . . . unreal. When our certainty is adrift, as though an undercurrent has pulled us away from shore into the deep, into the darkness. This is disillusionment. This is spiritual pain. This is losing hope. And if this is you—if you’re in a dark night of the soul—please know that you are not alone. (And you are not as far away from safety as you may feel or fear.) Though faith shines best in full sun, it grows depth in the dark. The night is not your enemy. In fact, the night is necessary. In The Night Is Normal, revered author, speaker, and mentor Dr. Alicia Britt Chole offers a groundbreaking perspective that reveals spiritual disillusionment as an unexpected friend. Within these sacred pages, you’ll explore how: The roots—and fruits—of spiritual pain are actually an invitation to deep love Mistaking emotions for devotion and viewing abundance as proof of obedience create an unsustainable model for Christianity A strong night-faith can lead you into something far more satisfying than understanding and far more powerful than peace Our reality is broken, but God has not changed. Whether you’re disillusioned with God, yourself, or others, Alicia offers practical and soul-full tools to help you navigate the night and find your way to a livable and love-saturated hope. Your night will not last forever. Within it, there is priceless treasure that’s simply too weighty to be sourced in sunshine.