Heaven is for Real by Marlee

Heaven is for Real by Marlee - May 2017 Scholarship Essay

I haven’t read a lot of books for the fun of it, as I’m sure most college students would say. However, there is one book that had influenced my life in more ways than one. That book was entitled “Heaven is for Real”, written by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent. I read this book a few years ago, and it has certainly strengthened my faith and confirmed my beliefs.
“Heaven is for Real” is a story written by a pastor who almost lost his child. His child had a burst appendix, which lead to infection, and ultimately caused the child, Colton, to die and come back to life. Throughout the book, Todd tells the story of how his child, who was only four, started to make statements about heaven, about his miscarried sister, and other situations that he couldn’t have known about any other way. Colton tells what Jesus looked like and shared stories that he couldn’t have even made up. Throughout the book, Todd presents incredible evidence for his child having gone to heaven and returning to share his story. This evidence has drastically effected my faith in more ways than one.
One way that this book has affected my faith is that it has tremendously strengthened it. As a Christian, faith is a strong foundation of my religion. However, it’s easy to question and to wonder about if all, or any of it, is real. It’s only human to have these thoughts. Upon finishing this book, I felt that there would be no reason for a four-year-old to make all of this up. If such a small child had died and learned these things and was given back to the world to tell his family these things, I couldn’t imagine how this could all be made up. Therefore, I felt that everything I had grown up believing was true.
Since my faith has been confirmed by this amazing little boy, I have become much stronger in my faith. I have no doubts that what I was raised to believe is true. I now feel much better giving every struggle and worry in my life to God. I have attended church more often, and I study Scripture each night. This book has allowed me to become a better Christian, and I am very thankful for it.
This book has impacted my life by strengthening my faith and allowing me to become a better Christian. It’s only human to have doubts, and there are thousands of scientists out there who claim to be able to “disprove” the Christian story. After reading this incredible true story, I no longer doubt my religion. This story has made my life much happier and less stressful, and it’s allowed me to delve myself even deeper into Christianity.