This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "Heaven Is For Real" by Todd Burpo. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
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Looking for Heaven Is for Real quotes? How can these quotes help you learn more about pastor Todd Burpo and faith?
Heaven Is for Real was written by pastor Todd Burpo. The story recounts his son’s stories of visiting Heaven while he was having surgery. Below are four Heaven Is for Real quotes from the book.
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The Top 3 Heaven Is for Real Quotes
Below are three Heaven Is for Real quotes from the book:
“…when I was angry at God because I couldn’t go to my son, hold him, and comfort him, God’s son was holding my son in his lap.”
The first Heaven Is for Real quote is from when Colton first told his father he went to Heaven. While the Burpos waited for news on Colton’s surgery, Sonja sat in the hospital waiting room, calling friends and family to update them on her son’s condition. Meanwhile, Todd found a quiet room in which he could be alone with his feelings. He felt guilty: Was Colton going to die because his parents had been too slow to seek adequate medical care for him? Shouldn’t Todd have realized that Colton was suffering from appendicitis sooner?
In addition, Todd felt extremely angry at God. Why was God testing him—a pastor, no less—again, after all of the trials and tribulations of the past few months? Was God really going to allow his son to die?
After an agonizing hours-long wait, the Burpos eventually learned that Colton had made it through the surgery.
“I learned that I didn’t have to offer some kind of churchy, holy-sounding prayer in order to be heard in heaven. “You might as well tell God what you think,” I said. “He already knows it anyway.” Most importantly of all, I learned that I am heard. We all are.”
This Heaven Is for Real quote is from when Colton was first taken in for surgery. While the Burpos waited for news on Colton’s surgery, Sonja sat in the hospital waiting room, calling friends and family to update them on her son’s condition. Meanwhile, Todd found a quiet room in which he could be alone with his feelings. He felt guilty: Was Colton going to die because his parents had been too slow to seek adequate medical care for him? Shouldn’t Todd have realized that Colton was suffering from appendicitis sooner?
In addition, Todd felt extremely angry at God. Why was God testing him—a pastor, no less—again, after all of the trials and tribulations of the past few months? Was God really going to allow his son to die?
“What is childlike humility? It’s not the lack of intelligence, but the lack of guile. The lack of an agenda. It’s that precious, fleeting time before we have accumulated enough pride or position to care what other people might think. The same un-self-conscious honesty that enables a three-year-old to splash joyfully in a rain puddle, or tumble laughing in the grass with a puppy, or point out loudly that you have a booger hanging out of your nose, is what is required to enter heaven.”
This Heaven Is for Real quote is from when Colton was explaining Heaven to his dad. Todd asked what the people in heaven had looked like. Colton stated that almost everyone had wings that they used to fly around, although he admitted, with some annoyance, that his wings had been very small. The only exception to this rule was Jesus, who didn’t have wings but could still fly. Specifically, he could move up and down in the air like an elevator. In Todd’s eyes, this matched the biblical description of Jesus flying up to heaven during the Ascension.
Colton also stated that everyone in heaven had lights shining above their heads. Todd inferred that Colton was describing halos, which, he conceded, aren’t mentioned in the Bible. However, the Bible does mention dazzling light surrounding angels, so Todd believed Colton’s description wasn’t completely implausible.
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Like what you just read? Read the rest of the world's best book summary and analysis of Todd Burpo's "Heaven Is For Real" at Shortform .
Here's what you'll find in our full Heaven Is For Real summary :
- Why 4-year-old Colton Burpo believed he had visited Heaven
- What Burpo saw during his time in Heaven, including proof it was real
- How the experience strengthened the faith of the Burpo family
