In “Heaven is for Real,” Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent narrate the remarkable story of Colton Burpo, who experienced a visit to heaven during an emergency appendectomy at the age of four. Colton told his parents that he left his body during the surgery and recounted his encounters with long-departed family members. With the disarming innocence and plainspoken boldness of a child, he described meeting Jesus, seeing angels, and witnessing the grandeur of God, who he said was “really, really big” and full of love for humanity. Colton also shared that in heaven, “Nobody is old and nobody wears glasses.” The question arises: why did God choose to take Colton to heaven? Perhaps it was to remind us that the path to salvation requires complete trust in Him, with a childlike faith that believes without hesitation.
When we write and talk about striving for heaven, some may think we are trying to escape from this world. I appreciate how C.S. Lewis addressed this issue, emphasizing the importance of making heaven a primary goal. He articulated this well:
“A continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next… It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this one. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth and you will get neither.”
Lewis’s insight highlights that focusing on the eternal world does not mean neglecting our responsibilities in the present. Instead, it encourages us to make meaningful contributions here and now, driven by a higher purpose.
