Out of the Mouth of Babes

Luke 18:17 - Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it. - Jesus

I read a book over the weekend. For me, that's quite an accomplishment. I'm a slow reader! But this book I couldn't put down. I wanted to hear the next tidbit of information. The book was called Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo. Todd is the father of Colton, who was not quite four when he had an emergency appendicitis attack that nearly killed him.

Todd is a pastor for a small Wesleyan church in Imperial, Nebraska. His wife is Sonja and Colton has an older sister named Carrie. The story he was about to unfold had me riveted, as just about anything about Jesus does. What was so amazing is this boy, 3+ years, could not have made any of this up. He was simply not old enough...and his dad and mom were familiar with what the church was teaching children his age.

I won't tell all about this book. I can say that for those who know Jesus, it is a very encouraging story. Coming little by little without words being put into his mouth from his parents, this boy's story unfolded over the next year, much to their amazement. It is a reminder that "out of the mouth of babes" can come some simple truths because they have a childlike faith.

The first thing Colton said that surprised the Burpos was: Daddy, did you know I almost died? How would he know that? Did he hear it? The questions raged through Todd's mind but he didn't press the issue. He only wanted Colton to continue to get better. Colton described what his parents were doing while he was in the operating room, where they were sitting and what they were doing. How would he know this unless he had seen it?

Of course, being a small-town pastor with a side job and a wife who worked part time, they didn't have the funds to pay for all the rising doctors' and hospital costs. They had to come up with a plan. As they discussed it one evening the question of paying the next month's tithe came up. Yes...God gave us our son back; we can't not give back to Him, Todd insisted. A little while later, Colton came into the room and said, Dad, Jesus used Dr. O'Holleran to help fix me. You need to pay him. Where did this thought come from, they wondered? They still didn't know how they were going to pay anyone with limited finances but over the next week enough checks came in the mail to cover the doctor's bill.

I think about how when we step out in faith, a childlike faith at that, God steps in to do what we think is impossible. That has happened a couple times at least that I remember. Doesn't necessarily have to be about money, but anything that burns in your heart. That first little step of faith. 

Over time Todd and Sonja were told repeatedly that Colton heard Jesus speaking to him. They were constantly amazed at the things that came out of his little mouth and his little heart. There was even a sense of urgency at times, like when the family was attending a funeral and Colton exclaimed, Did that man have Jesus? He had to! He had to! He can't get into heaven if he didn't have Jesus in his heart!

There comes a time in each of our lives when we, hopefully, realize that we know we need to have Jesus...not just know who He is but know Him with our whole heart and receive Him into our lives to be our Savior. Little Colton had not done that yet. But somehow he had learned, through Jesus, this important fact that if we don't have Jesus in our heart we won't go to heaven. 

Todd admitted his anger towards God while their son was in emergency and the angry prayers he shot up to heaven. Later Colton said that God heard his prayers, proving that it is not necessary to go through any other person, but directly to God Himself, for our prayers to be answered. Jesus is called our Mediator between God and us. Jesus, not a man; no member of clergy is necessary. Jesus and no one but Jesus because Jesus is also God. Psalm 32:5 - Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"--and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah

Colton described in his childlike way what heaven looked like. He described colors (like rainbows) and angels and where Jesus sat, what He wore, right down to His "markers," which I will not divulge unless you ask! He described a light that shone so brilliantly. Everything he said could be backed up by scripture (that obviously a 3 year old could not have read). He described people he met, like John the Baptist. Where would he have heard about John the Baptist at three? He made this statement one day, Dad, you had a grandpa named Pop, didn't you? He's really nice. One time he mentioned to his mother that he two sisters, that one died in her tummy but that she's okay because God adopted her! And he went on discussing other things about her.

He continued to relate things that were inconceivable, like God shooting His power down on his dad on Sunday mornings, the throne room of God and what we will look like and wear when we enter heaven...and the fact that Jesus really, really loves little children. Could it be why He has told us we need to come as little children? We've all heard we are children of God. Could it be that He sees us not as who we see ourselves to be but as no more than little children...and maybe we should act like them? Could it be that since God is the "Ancient of Days" and He's been around infinitely, we all appear to be no more than children? 

Colton shared who the first person would be we would see in heaven. Want to guess who that is? He described what the angels looked like and what they do. He talked about the new bodies those who go to heaven receive and that others will not receive that new body. And he talked about the upcoming (spiritual) war that saints of God will help Jesus fight. All these things came out of the mouth of a child with the words only a child would use. 

Todd tried to get Colton to describe Jesus' face but all he could do was say His eyes are so pretty. They would little by little show him pictures of Jesus but nothing ever looked like Him. One day he was shown a picture and it was the one! I've seen it online...and His eyes are pretty. It's the portrait: The Prince of Peace: The Resurrection. The story behind the portrait (at this link) is even more amazing.

One thing that we could all learn from this child: The reason Jesus died was so we could meet His Dad. That's what it's all about. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life and we cannot "go to heaven and meet His Dad" without Jesus. I don't know about you but I don't want to take any chance of missing this opportunity. It only takes a childlike faith to answer the call to accept Jesus. It takes childlike humility, not mature reasoning. The statement that hit like nothing else in the book was this: 

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 think...It is the opposite of  ignorance--it is intellectual honesty: to be willing to accept reality and to call things what they are even when it's hard. - Todd Burpo, Heaven is for Real, page 74-75.

Matthew 18:1-5 - ...the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.