Several months ago the father of the
family my husband and I have been “adopted” into was telling us about a book
that sounded like it would be a great read. He described some of what he’d
heard about Heaven is for Real, and I knew immediately
I wanted to read the book.Those of you who know me as a voracious reader and rapid reviewer will understand that with so many books coming in for me to read and review, I don’t often buy books. I was planning on purchasing this one, but when out with my husband one Saturday, he said not to bother looking for it. I knew that was code for “I already ordered it for you.”
This miraculous story of a young child’s time in Heaven is beautifully written, Scripturally supported, and full of hope.
I was very excited to open this birthday present, not just because I’d finished another book the night before, but also because I really wanted to start Heaven is for Real. I always love it when a book is even better than I’d imagined it would be. I knew only a little bit of Colton Burpo’s story, mainly what I’d heard when we were out to dinner one evening, and I had no idea how such an intriguing subject would be covered, especially when the visitor was only four.
The matter-of-fact, tell-it-like-it-is attitude children have can be incredibly endearing and undeniably cute. One of my favorite things about this book is that the story is told in much the way it was revealed by Colton to his parents: in bits and pieces, over a period of time, and in the simple language of someone who still loved playing swordfights and wasn’t too old to get away with wearing superhero costumes complete with a cape pretty much year-round.
It feels even more genuine and authentic that Colton’s description of his time in Heaven isn’t just plopped into the book. His memories of his time there, whom he saw, and what happened trickled out in the days, months, and years following his near-death experience. His parents might mention something or Colton would ask them a question out-of-the-blue that caught them completely off-guard, something that showed he had knowledge of people, circumstances, and Biblical descriptions that he couldn’t possibly have learned about from his parents or Sunday school teachers.
Heaven is for Real made me think of my dad. Before he passed away, he used to ask a lot of questions about what I thought Heaven might be like, who would be there, etc. This confirmed some of the answers we gave him and shed light on some he’s gotten to experience firsthand, ones that must have been glorious surprises.
I highly recommend this book! The book is beautiful, authentic, deeply moving, well-written, and definitely a must-read. For more information about and/or to order a copy of Heaven is for Real, click here.
