Jesus once said to his Apostles, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” I feel that the book Heaven Is For Real is such a wonderful, true example of this Bible verse in the sense that the eternal happiness and love in Heaven is for the children of God. The book, an eye-opening account of three-year-old Colton Burpo, tells how one scary trip to the emergency room turned into a heavenly experience. Heaven Is For Real shows how faith and hope can come out of unexpected, dark times in our lives, but it is also an example of how trusting in God and His heavenly promise can lead us to great and unexpected blessings in our journey to eternal love.
Colton’s story is told by his father, Todd Burpo, who is a pastor. During what was supposed to be a relaxing vacation in Colorado, Colton became sick and was taken to the hospital; doctors discovered that he had a ruptured appendix and needed an emergency appendectomy. Although Colton had been in bad shape before the surgery, he did begin to recover afterward with the help of prayers from family, friends, and his church congregation, and he returned to a normal life. A few months after these events had taken place, Colton began revealing to his parents that he had taken a trip to Heaven! He claimed that he had ‘left his body’ during the surgery, listened to the angels sing, met John the Baptist, and even sat on Jesus’ lap; he also said he had met relatives who had passed before he was born, including his great-grandfather and miscarried sister. His parents and older sister were astounded, but Colton backed up his story with information he couldn’t have known, such as biblical references and what his parents were doing during the operation. As Todd came to believe that God had not only given him back his son but blessed him with another heavenly gift, he began to share Colton’s story, inspiring many others to renew and strengthen their faith.
When reading this book, I was very intrigued by Colton’s description of Heaven. I wanted to be able to visualize what Jesus’ physical features look like as well as how we look in eternal life. This book also made me feel that I should strengthen my faith and relationship with God. After reading about how Colton constantly told people how much God loves us and how much Jesus cares for the children, I started thinking about how God shows us His love for us each day. Overall, this book made me feel hopeful for Heaven, but I also realized that I have to complete the mission He has for me on Earth first.
One of the remarks that stuck out to me was when Colton told Todd that Jesus had sent him back to Earth in order to fulfill Todd’s prayer that Colton would survive. It helped assure me that God not only hears our prayers, but answers them as well, but sometimes not in ways we would expect. Another key event that occured in the story that impacted me was when Todd found out Colton had seen him angry at God during his surgery and realized that God had not only forgiven him for that action but also answered his prayer. It reminded me of how merciful and understanding God is; even when we sin against Him or turn our backs on Him, he lovingly takes us back when we beg for forgiveness. One more idea that I can take away from this book was how having a childlike sense of faith and wonder with God can help us to understand our mission and how He works in simpler terms. Little Colton shows us that in order to enter God’s Kingdom, we have to become like little children, dependent on our Father’s love. Better yet, we have to have complete faith in God that He will always be with us; loving, forgiving, and protecting us.
Life lessons I can take away from this book include those of faith and trust. After reading Colton’s story, I realized how much I needed a reminder of how important my faith and relationship with God is. It made me think about how I need to be concerned about my mission as a follower of God; without a strong relationship with Him, I wouldn’t be able to complete His plan for me. In addition, Todd’s commitment to becoming a pastor showed me that putting my complete trust in God to lead me down the right path is essential. Often in life, we experience doubts in our faith and in God, but we need to have complete trust in His love, mercy, and protection that will save us.
This book is relatable to our Faith and Theology because it is not only about a Christian family and includes many biblical references, but it also tells of Heaven, a state of being in which we have to believe in and hope for without seeing. It is one of the greatest mysteries of our faith, from who gets to go there to what it looks like to how our eternal fate is decided. People have had divine visions and reported heavenly experiences after having died and then being revived, but no human has fully experienced eternal life and then come back to normal life to tell about it. Also, Colton’s story is something you have to believe without being there firsthand, just as our beliefs in the Lord and God and everything He has done for us. But most of all, the book can help you see how God works in mysterious ways to lead us in the right direction; in Colton’s case, I think God decided people needed a little glimpse of what awaits them if they follow him.
Todd Burpo has a way with words and tying in our faith to his book. Being a pastor, he is a good storyteller, but he also makes sure to include Biblical examples, Church teachings, and explanations to our faith. For instance, when Colton is explaining to his dad about Jesus’ horse and his appearance, he includes direct quotes from the Scripture to show us that our beliefs are being proven true by his son’s account. He also includes some personal doubts and obstacles that his faith helped him overcome. Todd leads all things back to God’s love and sacrifice for us.
In conclusion, the book Heaven Is For Real is an inspirational story that shows while most people are unlike Colton and might not be able to see what we believe, we have to trust in God and His heavenly covenant. Colton tells us from his experience that God’s Kingdom belongs to His children, that we need to have Jesus in our hearts, and that Jesus died for us simply so that “we could go see his Dad”. Just as he, a small child, experienced Heaven, we need to be children of God and followers of Christ to have faith and hope that we will someday reach eternity with the Father. And, as Colton’s story emerged from one of the scariest times in his family’s lives, our faith sometimes comes out of dark, unexpected places; this is a great representation of how Jesus truly is the Light of the World and guides us throughout the worst times in our journey. I believe the most important point in this story is just as Colton said towards the end of the book: not only is Heaven real, it is more than we can even hope to imagine.