Heaven is for Real – the Colton Burpo Story

Heaven is for Real was written by Todd Burpo, a Pastor of a Wesleyan church. He and his wife, Sonja, did not realize that their little four year preschooler had an experience of heaven. Colton, their son, had become ill and was in and out of the hospital. Colton said things that surprised his parents for a four year old, therefore they knew that he must have really seen what he is saying.

One day, Colton had caught the stomach flu. He had been complaining of pains in his abdominal area. That lasted just a day or so. His fever broke so his parents just assumed that he was fine. A few days later, Colton was complaining again of stomach pains. He had gone through so many tests in the hospital to see what was wrong. Finally, the doctors realized that he had a ruptured appendix. Poison was getting into his little body and he had to have an emergency surgery. Thank God, with all the prayers of family and church members, Colton survived.

What his parents did not realize through all of this was that their son was having an experience of heaven. They thought this was strange because no doctor had ever said that he had died even for a few minutes. When Colton got home from the hospital, he started talking about things that he saw in heaven. His parents just gave credit to his Sunday school teacher for teaching him all of these things. The family went to a funeral together and Colton asked his father if this man who died knew Jesus because that is the only way he can get to heaven. Again, Colton’s parents were amazed at what their four year old was saying or where he came up with these things.

Colton said that he saw John the Baptist, Jesus and others. He said there were a lot of kids in heaven. He described Jesus by using the word “markers.” His parents had no clue why he was saying that. He said that Jesus wore a purple robe and that his hands and feet had red on them. His father quickly thought about Jesus’ hands and feet having nails in them when He was crucified. Colton also said that Jesus gave him homework to do and that he was busy there. Then, Jesus said to him, “I have answered the prayer of your father.” At that point, Colton called his dad when he was in the hospital. His father ran to him and was glad to hear that he was still alive.

This next part made me cry. Colton told his parents that he has two sisters. He does have a sister Cassie. When he was in heaven, he met his unborn sister whom his mother miscarried. She did not have a name but she came up to him and hugged him and wouldn’t let him go. His parents were stunned when Colton mentioned this because they never told him about the baby that his mother had lost. This little girl in heaven told Colton that she is waiting for mommy and daddy and the rest of the family to come and join her. This brought tears to my eyes because I have a family member who miscarried twice. Just the thought of our reunion in heaven with these two and everyone else, makes me hope that Jesus’ return is sooner than ever.

There is so much more to this book. I have just given a very short summary. It will just amaze you to see such child like faith. It was also neat to read how God provided the money for Colton’s family. They had so many bills piling up and hospital bills accumulating around $23,000. God provided that money right to the cent.

Heaven is a beautiful place as described in this book and in the Bible. There is only one way to get there and that is through Jesus. There is no other way despite what others may say. The Bible says that Jesus is the way the truth and the life. No one enters but through the Father. Many have rejected Jesus as their Lord and Savior and they will never see heaven, but that is their choice. I can still hear the words of Colton when that man died. “Did he know Jesus?”

Heaven is for Real will change your perspective on things, especially knowing that your life can be gone tomorrow. Anyone can get sick at any time and die suddenly. Colton’s father takes everything that his son said, and quotes a Bible verse to back it up. His parents finally realized that their son had a real experience with heaven. This is a must read book.


People also view

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *