Today I just finished reading the book Heaven is for Real, "a little boy's astounding story of his trip to Heaven and back" while having an appendectomy from a ruptured appendix and multiples abscesses. Over the course of months, and even years after he had his surgery, this little 4-year-old vividly tells, in a child's language, about meeting Jesus and experiencing the brilliance of heaven. Of course I cannot give you the entire story right here, with all of the supporting evidence behind little Colton's words. But when asked many cautiously open-ended questions by his parents, Colton responded with a few examples below:
"I was sitting in Jesus' lap..."
"When I was with Jesus, you were praying,
and Mommy was talking on the phone..."
"Everyone's got wings..."
"Jesus has red markers on him..."
"Did you know Jesus has a horse?"
"His eyes are so pretty, Daddy!"
"That's where all the rainbow colors are..."
"All the people have a light above their head..."
"There were lots of kids, Dad..."
"He said I had to go back because he was answering your prayer..."
"My wings were really little, but Pop's were big!"
"Jesus has brown hair and he has hair on his face..."
"You had a baby die in your tummy, didn't you mommy? She's okay,
she said she can't wait for you and Daddy to get to heaven..."
"Jesus' chair is right next to his Dad's..."
"God and Jesus light up heaven..."
"God is the biggest one there is..."
"The Holy Spirit? ...That's kind of a hard one...he's kind of blue"
"Jesus said he really, really loves the children..."
"Jesus told me he had to die on the cross so we could go see Dad..."
"Gabriel is really nice..."
"It's going to be okay. The first person you're going to see is Jesus"
"There are too swords in heaven... Mom, Satan's not in hell yet"
"Heaven is for real."
Selfishly, I latch on to one of these phrases: "My wings were really little, but Pop's were big!" (Pop was Colton's great-gradfather, whom he had never met). First of all... if we have wings in heaven, then all my dreams will have come true. Even more amazing though, are Colton's experiences showing that we will know and recognize our family -- even the ones that we have never met. Of course I have believed this before, that we will "see them again", and will be reuinited with those that we miss more than our hearts can take at times. But now I have hope more than ever.
According to a little boy named Colton, my little brother has little wings, a perfect new body and is already hanging out with the family that has gone on before me. Experiencing these honest descriptions of a child has placed in me a fresh and personable realization that heaven is here and existing... right now. That Douglas is running around Jesus' feet with children and family amidst the purest joy there can be...right now. Even though "now" is a relative term between heaven and earth, Colton's story suggests that those in heaven have knowledge of our lives here, and are rooting and waiting for us. No wonder people always say that there is a party in heaven when another soul is brought into the Kingdom!
You may believe the story of Colton, or you may not. I challenge you to go grab this book (I finished it in a few hours) and see for yourself. As I mentioned before, I have only briefly skimmed the surface of the in-depth descriptions of the conversations that brought this book to life.
For everything that I read, I am so thankful. I'm thankful for the promise that heaven is real, heaven is waiting...
And Douglas is rooting for me to get there! --->
Happy Thanksgiving and cheers!
Jamie Leanne
