I have never seen Heaven. I can’t tell you from experience what it is like. The best I can do is tell you what limited information the Bible has. Well, limited in the details I mean. That is why I, like so many other people, are very intrigued by stories of people who have claimed to have been there and come back. Today, there are no lack of books being published by those who say they have seen heaven. I remember I Saw Heaven. It was published in the 90s I think. It was my first exposure to this genre. Recently, many similar books have made it big: Ninety-Minutes in Heaven, The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven, and Twenty-Three Minutes in Hell (this one about a guy who spent some time in hell, obviously). All of these have topped best-seller lists everywhere. Christians eat these up as it seems to confirm for them the reality of their faith. Not only this, but they hand them out to unbelieving friends hoping that it can be the “I told you so” proof of their faith.
The latest book to top the lists (indeed the New York Times best seller list) is called Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back, by Todd Burpo. It was published in 2010 by Thomas Nelson. It is just over 150 pages. I read it this afternoon.
Summary
Colton Burpo, the three-year-old son of Todd (the author) and Sonja Burpo, spent time in heaven and came back to talk about it. Colton’s experience was not the traditional NDE (near death experience) since he never actually died. The first half of the book is the story of the events leading up to Colton’s visit to heaven. His dad, Todd, a Wesleyan minister, gives the nail biting story (especially for those of us who have young kids) of dealing with his son’s stomach ache that was misdiagnosed as the flu. After many days of pain, trips to the doctor’s office, and multiple hospitals, they finally find out that Colton has a ruptured appendix that has been poisoning his body for days. At the edge of death, the doctors rush him into surgery while the parents are on their knees before God.
Colton survived. The medical reports give no indication that his heart ever stopped. While it was a very close call, the surgery was a success.
Over the next months, even years, Colton began, to the surprise of the parents, to explain what happened to him while in surgery. The rest of the book is filled with account after account of Colton telling his bewildered parents about his time with Christ in heaven. Things that Colton should not have known and had never been taught came to the surface as this three-year-old boy processed his faith as confirmed through his time with God.
Main Events
Let me give you a quick low-down on the parts of the story about heaven that stood out to me most.
- He sat in Jesus’ lap
- He met his sister who died in his mother’s womb (whom his parents had never told him about)
- He saw John the Baptist
- There is a coming battle with Satan (he is a futurist!)
- There are thousands of colors we have never seen
- He met his great granddad (who told him things about his father that his father had never told him)
- He saw Jesus’ “marks” on his hands and feet
- All the people had wings of various sizes (including Colton) and flew around (except Jesus who moved up and down as if on an escalator)
- Jesus had the most beautiful eyes, a beard, a white gown, a purple sash, and a crown
- All the people had a light above their head (halo?)
- Jesus sits on a throne at the right hand of God and Gabriel is on the left
- He sat by God the Holy Spirit (who he could not describe) and explained to his dad that God is a Trinity
- It never gets dark in heaven because God the Father and God the Son are the lights
- There were all kinds of animals everywhere
- Nobody is old in heaven and no one wears glasses
- Jesus “shoots” power down from heaven to his father while he is preaching (like I hope he is doing for me while I am blogging!)
- The gates to heaven were made of gold and pearls
- He was actually only there for three minutes (timelessness in heaven?)
A great book on the topic by Mark Hitchcock
Evaluation
I have often said that left unchecked, experience is the most powerful and compelling source for theology. You can argue with logic, facts, evidence, and the like, but it is almost impossible to argue against subjective experience. However, if our experience comes in direct contradiction with correctly interpreted Scripture, Scripture should always win. That is what we mean by sola Scriptura. The Scriptures are our final and only infallible source of authority. It is the “norm that norm which is not normed.” However, this does not discount experience. Neither does it say that God does not use experience to confirm his truth to his people. We need to tread very carefully with these types of things, opting neither for outright acceptance or complete dismissal.
The Father of Colton and Writer of the Book, Todd Burpo
This was not my experience nor the experience of my son. I am sure that if I had the experience myself or if it was my son’s, I would have a much harder time dismissing many of these things (which is not my purpose). However, one thing that stood out to me immediately was the composure of the boy’s father, Todd. As I said before, he is a Wesleyan minister. I was immediately impressed by his theological astute evaluation of many things. Not all, but many. For example, he struggled with the idea that his son said that this all happened in three minutes. He toys with the thought that heaven may be timeless, but he also seems to understand the implication of God alone existing in a timeless eternity.
As well, most of the events were well reflected upon and compared to the Scriptures. For example, as bizarre as it sounds to say that people’s heads shine (as in having a halo), he does reference many times where people “shine” with a heavenly glow in the Bible.
His more than expected critical evaluation and reflection on what his son described endeared me to the testimony of his son. I don’t know how to take much of what his son said about heaven, but I really appreciate that his father, many times, does not seem to know how to take it as well. That is a mark of authenticity.
Colton
I suppose that this is what intrigued me most about this book and the testimony. I have read other books where people claim to have seen heaven and their description is easily written off due to its reflection of common cultural folklore. However, his son was not even four-years-old.
Right now, my son Zach is about the same age as Colton was when these events took place. I cannot imagine him saying the things that Colton said, even after countless hours of trying to teach him about our faith. It is hard enough to get Zach to refrain from saying Chuck-e-Cheese, not God, made him! Those of you who have three-year-old children can relate, I am sure.
This seems to be the position of both the father and the mother. The question that comes up repeatedly is “How does he know this?” How did he know who John the Baptist was? How did he know about his sister who died? How could he talk about “Pop,” his great-granddad, and identify him in a photo? How did he know about the Trinity?
These are all questions that leave me scratching my head.
Jesus
I found it rather humorous and fascinating when the parents, upon discovery that Colton saw Jesus, were obsessed (my word, not theirs) with finding out what Jesus looked like. For years they pointed to modern pictures of Jesus saying, “How about this one?” only to be shot down by Colton’s critique. After a couple of years, they came across a young girl named Akiane who also claimed to have a vision of Christ and heaven. She was an artist and painted a picture of Jesus. Upon showing this to Colton, he said, “That is it! That is Jesus.” So, this is what Jesus really looks like according to Colton and Akiane Kramarik:
What do you think?
The Events
Putting my theological cap on for a moment, let me say a few words.
While there is nothing that is described by Colton that is impossible or that outright contradicts Scripture, there are many things that don’t square with what I suppose to be true about heaven.
First, we must distinguish between the “intermediate state of existence” and the New Earth (both of which we often call “heaven”). The intermediate state of existence is the place people go between death and the resurrection. Christians go to a place called “Paradise”(Luke23:43). It is not entirely improper to call it “heaven”; we don’t want to confuse this place with the New Earth that will be our eternal abode and only appears after judgment. There is not much that the Bible tells us about the intermediate state. We know that we will be with Christ (2 Cor. 5:6; Luke 23:43) and it will be better than being on earth (2 Cor. 5:8). The New Earth does not appear until Revelation 20:1-3. The intermediate state is where Colton would have gone, not the New Earth. However, like with so many of these “I saw heaven” experiences, people describe what seems to be the New Earth which, for lack of a better way to put it, has not been built yet. The streets of gold, gates made out of pearls, and the like, which Colton describes, are attributes, literal or not, of a place that is not yet in existence.
As well, the description of people with wings is very odd. While I am not denying that people could have wings in the intermediate state, this is no where hinted at in Scripture. This, along with people not looking old, while not necessarily problematic, does raise some theological eyebrows. After all, were not Samuel, Elijah and Moses all recognizable (1 Sam. 28:15; Matt. 17:1-9). Did not the witch of Endor recognize Samuel? And upon being asked what he looked like, didn’t she say, “An old man wearing a robe is coming up” (1 Sam. 28:14, emphasis mine).
There were just many things like this that fit better with common folk theology than with biblical testimony. But who am I to say that some folk theology could not be true?
Are They Lying?
This question always has to be asked, doesn’t it? After all, these types of things can get a person rich really quick. I don’t think that either the father or the son is lying. This does not mean that what is being said accurately reflects what we can expect the intermediate state to be like, nor does it dismiss all alternative explanations. It just means that I believe there is no compelling reason for me to say that this story is a fabrication.
Near-Death-Experiences and the Christian Faith
You must understand, there are tens of thousands of “I saw heaven” claims out there. The most famous of which is Emanuel Swedenborg’s (1688-1772), father of the cult Swedenborgianism or The New Church. He claimed to have been given permission to freely visit heaven and hell for 28 years. His testimony is filled with unorthodox beliefs, not the least of which was a denial of the Trinity.
Today, studies of near-death experiences are on the rise and becoming more accepted. The International Association of Near-Death Studies (IANDS) has gathered over 900 accounts with 280 of these just coming last year! These are very nice when they parallel with what you already believe. The problem is that these experiences are not only being testified to by Christians, but Muslims, atheists, Hindus, and those of every faith. Each account has its own unique testimony that fits well within their religious idealism. Muslim’s see virgins. Mormon are comforted by Joseph Smith. Catholics are aided by Mary. Even atheists are found being drawn by a bright light down a long tunnel.
I don’t dismiss these types of things outright. I think they are fascinating. But neither do I hold on to them too tightly. Though I will continue to read about and reflect on people’s “I saw heaven” testimonies, I will never hang my hat on them. Neither should you.
In the book, it is told that a baby sitter heard Colton’s testimony. She was a Christian who was wavering in her faith, riddled with doubt. As the story goes, her faith was confirmed by Colton’s experience. This is the type of stuff that scares me. When our faith is built on this type of tabloid theology, true or not, we can expect to have a tabloid faith. We do not need stories about people who have come back from the great beyond to confirm our faith and we certainly don’t need these as the foundation of our faith. So, from an apologetics standpoint (defending the faith), please don’t hand this type of book out to your unbelieving friends.
Conclusion
Heaven is for Real is a very well written page turner. I look to the Burpo family and sigh in relief that Colton was delivered from death. As a father of four, that testimony itself was encouraging and worth the price of the book. I would also like to thank Todd for being open and honest about his battle with God in the emergency room. That is as real as it gets.
I recommend this book for its ability to cause you to think, wonder, and process. While I don’t think it has much, if any, apologetic value, the truth is that we do believe in an afterlife. Perhaps Colton did catch a glimpse of heaven just as Paul did.
2 Cor. 12:2-5
I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. 5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses.
141 replies to "Book Review: Heaven is for Real"
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I appreciate you not smearing the Burpo’s or denying Colton’s experience outright but I think you could have been a little more generous. You readily admit that this type of thing can’t be absolutely denied theologically so why not embrace it?
And “tabloid?” That is a strong word to use on someone’s testimony. Testimonies are what makes Christianity personal and individual and many people have come to Christ, not because of a well shaped theological statement, but because they heard the testimony of a relative, a friend or even a friend of a friend. That makes it real not cheap.
From experience I have learned that not everyone will receive the book the same. I have encouraged several people to read it and have gotten very different responses. Not negative just different. Exactly what you would expect from giving a testimony.
But, even though I thought you were a bit tight fisted with your approval, I do appreciate the thorough write up.
Lois,
I wish it were that easy to just speak into existence what you want to happen with your life and just because you believe it, you can count on it happening. Just because we want and believe something will transpire with our lives…..doesn’t mean that it will happen. We are not infinite or divine; we are finite.
God, the awesome creator of all things, had a purpose in creating the world and man. And, because He the creator set the world in existence, He also has given us clear instructions in the Bible, our Life Manual to guide us. He is the one who sets the rules and the eternal game plan, not us.
Why don’t you pick up a Bible and begin reading with an open mind and heart and learn about God’s great love and plan for your life both now and for eternity.
that cant be what jesus looked like. he would have had longer hair, and he wouldnt have looked so… anglo saxon. he came from an area where there are now muslims. we dont think of middle eastern muslims as looking like western europeans. jesus was very close to africa, and the arabian peninsula. there is also speculation that he had black african blood in his veins. i find this perfectly agreeable. he would have looked more like a pretty, long haired, bearded, dark hippie than grizzly adams.
oh, sorry. one more thing. i go to an art school. i am an artist. and, trust me when i say this. little girls dont paint like that. not even with lots and lots of training. it takes alot of patience, motor skills, and an advanced understanding and an abstract concept of how light plays with subtle and organic bumps and ridges to paint a face so large and accurately. especially if you werent looking at a model.
This is to Lois.
First of all I want to say how truly sorry I am for the loss of your grandson, Bobby. No parent or grandparent should ever have to experience the loss of a child. This is a quote that I found in my Bible and refer back to it frequently. “God allows pain that we might learn to trust His faithfulness, sufficiency and tender love for us.” I’m not sure what it is that is making you so angry about all of these comments. The only ones you seem to enjoy are the ones that agree totally with you. And it does matter that you use caps. You sound very defensive when you do that. Yes your beliefs are different and we have no right to judge you because of that, but at the same time you have absolutely no right to judge us for our beliefs. If you don’t want to read the book, or if you don’t believe it, that’s ok. Don’t read the book! Keep it to yourself! Nasty comments are unnecessary. As Christians we are expected to witness to you. It’s very much a part of our lives. And I’m…
that each person’s individual testimony will confirm that.
Your ranting is so scattered that I’m just going to put these versus out there for you to see. Each one applies to something you’ve commented about.
John 14:6 (again because I’ve seen it quoted on here once) – Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
James 3:14 – What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?
James 3:18 – But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
James 3:20 – But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
John 1:12–13 – But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
(to be…
John 3:3 – Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Romans 10:9-13 – that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
And here are responses to some of the absurd things you’ve ranted about:
Yes, the Bible was written by a man, but it was a man who was instructed by God. HIS WORDS – NOT TRANSLATED BY MAN. There are way too many translations in existence that interpret the Bible the way they feel it should be interpreted, not necessarily the way it was…
You can always construe words to mean what you want them to mean. A lot of these translations are very loose and they lose their true meaning.
And how do you know those signs aren’t coming from Jesus Himself? How do you know that He isn’t trying to draw you to Him? That’s how it happens you know. Our flesh doesn’t allow us to seek God on our own. He draws us to Him. I think you need to consider the signs you see a little more carefully, maybe with an open mind and an open heart. I can feel your pain when you talk about your grandson. I lost my son …. And yes, I will hold him again when I get to Heaven. I know his little body is healed. What I don’t know is if he will still be an infant or if he has grown. I’ll know the answer to this eventually.
And again, I’m going to say that not everyone is born a child of God. You become a child of God when you accept Him into your heart and confess that He is your Lord and Savior!
(continued)
I hope that you will open your heart, mind and ears and listen for Jesus to call you …. Because it’s probably Him that’s causing so much anger and confusion on your part .. He wants you to notice Him.
to all
first of all i am not making any nasty comments. i totally respect all of you and your beliefs. my faith is very different from yours. the only thing that upsets me is that this 4 years old little boy (or his father) says that because of my beliefs that i will not go to heaven. i know that i will. even my friends priest told me that i will and he was not just trying to passify my. so we all have different beliefs and should respect all of them. sorry if i don’t thhink the way you do but thats what make all of us unique. right. i know when my time is up i will for sure see my beautiful grandson bobby.
this is for debbie
debbie i am not angry or confused. i am just sad and that is very normal. my heart is very open and and that is why i get all these amazing signs from bobby. and whoever wrote about me using caps. it was just what my computer was on caps when i wrote. it meant nothing to me. someone just took it the wrong way. i don’t think that way.
I enjoyed this book!! I once had a dream that a cousin who had died called me and I asked her where she was, she told me that she was in heaven. I aked her if she had seen our relatives and she said that she had seen my mom. She did say that my mom looked very young in age and that she was very happy. Again, this was just a dream, but it made me happy!
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While we all would like to believe that experiences like Colton’s are real, I would strongly caution anyone and everyone to not get too swept up in experiences. Even though Colton was only three (and, therefore, we are more likely to believe that it was true rather an imagination), the fact remains that some of the things he saw are NOT supported in SCRIPTURE.
I would like to know what the family is doing with their profits from the book, and other items? Does anyone know?
There are those on on this site, that look at everything with an overly-critical eye. I believe often, even though they say it is to be theologically accurate, it is because at their core their “only-Scripture” belief is rooted in not having the joy of the Lord in their life, and revolt to all Christian life experiences. There are others, who will go to the Scripture, because they were encouraged by someone’s personal experience. Keep in mind, everyone needs a different trigger to point them to the right direction.
Now having said that, I also believe in testing the spirits, looking at the motive of the writer, and comparing what is said to Scripture. One needs to keep in mind, a minute is as a thousand years to the Lord, so what can happen on earth in 3 seconds, could reveal a lot of time in heaven. It is a different portal so to speak, with elements that cannot be compared on earth. Jesus knew the mind of this little boy, and knew possibly for him to know where he was, he needed to see wings on people. It may have been done for his own personal experience, but perhaps for someone else, they many not see wings. I don’t wrestle with that. We have an omniscient God, Who knows each of us individually. I don’t think this is a distorted or far-fetched story at all…and there is nothing especially that would place someone on a different road or cult road to contradict Scripture as a result of believing the story.
I have recently read the book,Heaven is for real. My opinion of the book is that it was well written, the story line followed the timing as Colton was able to share his visions and the way it laid out the ages that he revealed the visions were well put together. I liked the book and believe that there is something greater then us in this world. I believe that god does speak to us in different ways and coming through children doen’t surprise me. I am amazed at the way the parents were so honest. The dad being a pastor was so humble in his knowledge, and the mother who is a teacher, seemed to be very unshaken by his revelations. To me the book is very enlightening. The holy spirit is alive and around us today, we just have to pay close attention to detail. I loved the book and it is my prayer that others find it delightful as well.
[…] Heaven is for real book review by C Michael Patton. You can see his full review and comments by clicking on the link: reclaimingthemind.org. […]
This book made my life so much better i had a blast reading it i cried in the middle because my grandpa passed away 2 years ago i was so sad when i heard the news, earlier that night he told me a secret, and he said i am going to heaven is 9 hours and 23 minutes….i was so shocked when i heard that news about him:( he was the greatest person in my life EVER:( I<3 U and i think of younevery time i am aone, or by my self…..you made my life!!
Love you and i miss you so much:(
Jonathan #45 Im not so sure that Paul was “not allowed” to speak about the things of heaven, rather that he saw and heard things that are inexplicable. Try explaing colour to a blind person for instance. Besides that, the book of Revelation was written (and probably a a later date). So there is no biblical reason to believe that Colty’s story is fictional.
I agree with everyone who has made comments about using the Bible as the foundation of knowledge of God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, the trinity, heaven, hell, demons, angels, etc. However, even when God and other supernatural beings are described in the Bible, similes and metaphors are used because no words seem to do justice to that person’s spiritual and/or supernatural experience. I just came home from church, and from a great sermon about our love for God and our relationship with the Holy Spirit. When we’re taught to love others, and about the way God loves us, we’re taught about agape love, the type of love we choose to show, and strive to show unconditionally. However, when we read in the Bible in Corinthians 16:22 about what our love is like for God (and what life is like without it!) that version of love translates to phileo love – the love that makes agape love enjoyable. It’s brotherly love, a love that is full of experiences with God, and a range of emotions toward God. So, to rely on our own spiritual and supernatural experiences is very important to grow in our relationship with God. Since we are all brothers and sisters, I believe we should also take others’ spiritual and supernatural experiences into account (with discretion, of course – there is always room for deceit) to help us grow in our walk with God. We hold other’s testimony of experience with God in worldly situations in high regard, why not their otherwordly experiences?
The little boy, bless his precious heart, say that Jesus’ hair is brown – Revelation 1 says it is white. He also says Jesus was wearing a purple “sash” – Revelation 1 says it is golden…
Here is another good critique:
http://www.thebereancall.org/content/heaven-real-real-exercise-discernment-0
Yeah but when Jesus was on earth Didn’t have shining white hair, nor was he obviously shining all over with any sash when he appeared on the road to Emmaus. During Pentecost He had to show Thomas his hands and side, hardly seems like he was shiny and wearing a sash then. In other words his appearance and garments change depending on the location. It is entirely plausible that young Burpo did see what he says he has seen, and it is not contradictory to scripture, just diffErent.
I had a ruptured appendix and none of this happened to me, except the survival part 🙂
Well we’re glad you survived Judy.
I believe that we make our heaven and we make our hell . I believe there are different religions based on different people’s beliefs. In the Old Testament it states that God made different languages based on different people . Is it unfair to say that he may have done the same with religion? That all of these religions, all of these Gods, are different versions of the same God?
And while, like stated above, in the bible it says that Isaiah was terrified when he entered this “heaven” because he himself was a sinner, Colton is just a four-year-old boy . He is of the most innocent of human beings. It makes sense that he was able to see these people in heaven because he does not yet know what it is to sin.
We are being too demanding of a three year old boy. I know people who’ve had Near Death Experiences amd every single one has told of the same pearly white gates that are mentioned in this novel.
Im not saying that this is necessarily true because, honestly, i just dont know. Because I haven’t ever experienced heaven and neither have most if you.
Yes it is unfair to say he made different religions. If this were true then he would have to be schizophrenic, or unable to reveal himself clearly to mankind, or dishonest. Most world religions have opposing views, or views that are incompatible with one another. They can’t all be true at the same time.
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[…] Thanks to C. Michael Patton for writing a thoughtful, careful and gentle review of the “Heaven is For Real”. […]
One of the best books I have ever read!!!
The book HEAVEN IS FOR REAL was a fascinating read for me. For many it has given them hope for eternal life. To me, this is a far too important a subject to put my hope in a little boy’s experience. I wanted to see what God had to say so I went to the Bible. I have written a Bible study about heaven. I would be delighted to send you a free copy. Email me at [email protected] and I will email you a copy. If you have only seen the movie, I would suggest you read the book. The movie changed somethings, add things that did not happen and left out some great material.
After watching the movie and reading many, many comments about Colton’s experience and others. There are many who say these stories don’t coincide with the bible. The bible has been interpreted differently by different people and rewritten by many over a period of 2,000 years. How many deeply religious people today would open their door if a man knocked on their door who looked like and told you he was Jesus, he wanted to speak with you to open your eyes and mind to the wonders of heaven? Would you answer with I don’t open my home to strangers without a appointment, or think this person wants to rob me or do harm to me or my family or maybe looking for a hand out? Then again he might be there to give you a hand up during a bad time in your life to help you get through it! I’m still confused due to all the different points of view. Unusual and strange things happened to me to bring me to this point in time.
I left my office one afternoon about 1 pm, the doors to the elevator opened up, I stepped in and the door closed. I was instantly transported into the past, I was a house servant to people I never saw, only heard their voice as they called my name asking for fruit. I walked by a window with a platter of food, looked out the window to see people walking around talking in a language I understood then, but can’t remember the language! In another instant I was transported to another place in the same time era. I was walking up a hillside, I looked down and saw rocks, scrub brush and on my feet were sandals, I looked around and there dozens upon dozens of people were walking and rushing up the hill, men, women with children. Everyone was excited as they were saying Jesus was at the top giving away food to everyone! I looked up and saw a man in white handing out food! The elevator door opened after coming down from the third floor to the first floor which may have taken 15 to 20 seconds. I was stunned as I was back in this time stepping out into the light. I was shaken as to what had just happened to me between the doors closing and opening. It was all so real I could smell bread baking, hear people talking, then walking up a hill to receive food from the man I heard others call Jesus. I wasn’t drinking, of sound mind, taking care of business. This happened in the spring of 1986, today it is December 13, 2014. That memory is still with me today and all the details. Still can’t explain what happened, I have only told that to three or four people, they either said, I was hallucinating or dismissed it a daydream of 15 to 20 seconds.
I lost a son who was 1 year and 2 days old in 1968 and stayed angry at myself for a long time because he was laughing and we were playing when I handed him over to the doctor. In what seemed like an eternity I walked to the waiting room door and saw the doctor walking toward me and I felt sick as I could see the look on his face! My life changed forever, I lost my son, within a year I was divorced, lost my job, no car, gave everything to my wife walked out with my clothes in a large box. Called a friend, he and his wife allowed me to stay with them and keep their little girl, got me low paying job, when I came home from work I relieved their babysitter, as they worked the night shift at the hospital. One night I was so depressed with this time in life I wanted to die! Buddy and Sandy would be home soon as it was about midnight, I took my friends shotgun, loaded it and walked out back of the house, asking God why did you take my son, lost my wife and destroyed my life, I couldn’t take the pain anymore!!! I stuck the barrel in my mouth and tried to reach the trigger, at that moment I ask myself would my son be proud of me? No, was the answer I heard as I was trying to reach the trigger! I stopped, went back into the house put the gun away and never mentioned it to my friends. Maybe two or three nights later I had to dress Stephanie to go get my friends from work. Just as I got her dressed she coughed, then stopped breathing! I screamed God don’t do this to me I can lose this child! I wasn’t able to drive and try to revive her at the same time. She was turning blue nothing was working, I grabbed her ankles turned her upside down and shook her up and down, she started crying and I was so relieved and held her close as I drove to get her parents at the hospital. Her mother was a heart surgeon assistant and her father was a Inhalation therapist.
She changed my life, everything I have done since then was to do good things for others. I have been taken advantage of lost a lot of money to people who I thought were friends. I went on to invent products to make peoples lives easier, products to save lives and special products for law enforcement to get bad people off the street.
God got my attention as I had partied hard, drank illegally as I was underage, got into fights, did not attend church or read the bible before I got married or after. After getting Stephanie to breathe, I knew I had a purpose now! I attend church during holidays, I have played Santa Claus putting toys under trees while the parents let the kids see me doing it. The look of awe and love in those children’s faces was a true joy for me. I’m a spiritual person, I can’t adjust to any religion as to do that I would have to study all of them and then only choose one which I think suits me. Doesn’t make it the right one, which is why I’m spiritual. I believe in God and believe we currently live in a heaven or hell of our choosing on earth. Heaven is a parallel universe that and God has allowed through a few chosen people, maybe just to remind us, “There is a Heaven!”
Are they all telling a truth or is it a figment of their imagination? God only knows! I know when I lost my son and wife with no money or job, no future I could see. I found the strength inside me to give life one more try. God gave me a purpose and it changed my life and so many others who will never know that I have contributed to their life in a small way around the world.
Sorry if I bored you with this very short time in my life. I felt compelled to say something that may change someone else’s life. I love being positive, motivate others and understand life is a bed of roses, unfortunately there are the thorns too! So life has its ups and downs. Stay positive and pay it forward or the bad things people do will make their life a Hell on earth. That is my belief!
I need some advice should I read the book first or watch the movie first.
Read the book first.