Heaven Is For Real

It's fitting that I finish reading the book called "Heaven Is For Real" by Todd Burpo on Palm Sunday.  This book is about the incredible true story of 4 yr. old Colton Burpo's experience during an emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix.  He enters the gates of Heaven and shares his experience with his family.  Mom and Dad aren't sure what to make of their son's stories.  Colton describes things that he couldn't have known if he'd never been to Heaven - things straight out of scripture that he'd never been taught, things about his family that were never shared with him.

I shared some excerpts from the book last night with Andy after expressing to him how much this book had moved me.  When I looked up at Andy, there were tears in his eyes...Now for those of you who know my husband, you know he's not an emotional guy.  So for him to be moved to tears by just hearing me read a few passages to him, you can imagine how powerful this story really is.  

This morning at church, we sang a song called "You Hold Me Now" by Hillsong.  In that song, the chorus includes:  

no weeping

no hurt or pain

no suffering

you hold me now

you hold me now

no darkness

no sick or lame

no hiding

you hold me now

you hold me now

Well, after singing the chorus just one time, I about lost it!  It reminded me of little Colton's story and about the things he described about Heaven.  How his great grandfather, whom he'd never met before, had a new body, a much younger version of himself than when he died.  How Jesus held him on His lap and comforted him.  Colton's dad, who by the way is a small town pastor, asked Colton about what happens at night time in Heaven and his reply was that there is no darkness in Heaven.  That God and Jesus light up heaven and it's never dark...

But I think the thing that got to me the most personally, was that Colton met his unborn sister.  A miscarriage that his mother had suffered only 2 months into her pregnancy, which happened before Colton was ever born.  Colton had no knowledge of this sibling prior to his Heavenly experience.  He told his mother that she doesn't have a name, but not to worry because God adopted her...Most of you know our story...about the multiple miscarriages we suffered before having Riley.  So you can imagine the joy my heart felt reading this.  Colton's parents now joke about whoever gets to Heaven first gets to name their daughter!  

I don't want to give away the entire book...This is one I recommend for everyone to read, believer or not.  If you are a believer, it will just confirm everything you already knew from scripture, but in the simple terms of a child.  (Wait until you read the part about Jesus and the markers!)   In Matt. 18:3, Jesus said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."  If you are a non-believer, then this may be the book to make you search your heart and seek some answers.  It will make you think about the real possibility of heaven and hell and God and Jesus.