Heaven is For Real

Today I needed something to do. I went grocery shopping early in the morning and Connor and I had a water fight outside, but (if you saw the weather outside today, you would completely understand) I had zero desire to do anything except sit around. Yes, there were dishes to be put away and re-loaded, laundry needed to be switched and another load started, the kitchen could have been picked up and there are still some groceries left to find homes in the crowded pantry...but the skies were so overcast and ick....

Ben and Connor went fishing and Alaina was down for a nap so I opened up my Kindle and decided to start Heaven is for Real, a book I had downloaded months ago but never had the courage to pick it up and read it (I'll get to that in a minute). When we were flying to the Jersey Shore in the beginning of July a lady sitting next to me shared it with me. She said she wasn't very far into it, but she already thought it was a fantastic book. I tucked it away in the memory bank thinking I needed to read it soon. I had it downloaded since we got back home from vacation but I was really nervous to read it. Colton (the boy in the book) was about the same age Connor is now when he goes through his medical emergency and, if I am really honest here, there are some parts of being a Christian that make me fearful.

However, I turned on my e-book and finished it in one afternoon. I can honestly tell you that this is the best book I have ever read in my entire life. That is saying a lot because I have read a lot and love to read. This book (and I promise I am not giving anything away here) makes me completely re-evaluate how and why I pray. The way I view my children and the way the Lord views children. It has rocked me to the core and in the best way humanly possible. There are chapters when I am trembling from crying so far, completely immersed in the "ugly cry" where I couldn't catch my breath (Thank goodness Ben and Connor had gone fishing by this point!) and there were chapters when tears fell silently from my eyes knowing the beauty and wonder at the grace, mercy and hope my Father provides for me. The details provided by Colton made my jaw drop, gave me chills and had me full of promise.

I am thankful that one day a few years ago a friend introduced me to a Beth Moore Bible Study with girl's I barely knew and they opened my eyes to the glory of our Risen Savior...since then I have witnessed God's presence, I have seen the ways prayers lift up the down-trodden and have felt the Holy Spirit descend upon myself and Alaina when our loved ones were lifting us up in prayers while we were in the hospital. I see the sunrises and sunsets and know the beauty and their colors (you will get that color reference when you read the book) are a taste of what's to come.

I feel like I am blabbling along but I can not, under any circumstance, convey in any human words how moved I am by this book. How touched I am by the purity, innocence and true testimony of a 3-year-old who has no clue what the testimony really means. If you remember, place it in your memory bank, download it for another time or check it out from your local library. I promise- it is worth every page.