A Video, A Book, A Heavenly Story

March 13, 2012

In 2009, I started teaching General Psychology at Dallas Baptist University (DBU).  I love, love, love teaching that particular class because of the variety of topics we get to learn and discuss.  I like to make my classes interesting by using a variety of teaching methods including using some videos.  When we learn about prodigies, I use a video that features Akiana Kramarik, an incredibly talented young artist.  If you want to see it, this is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBNMtPlBD0Y.  Pay attention to the Prince of Peace painting.  It is Jesus as she saw him.  When I show this video in my classes, there are always gasps of amazement when they see the gift of this girl, especially when she attributes it to God.

Three weeks ago, a client asked if I had read a book titled, “Heaven is for Real.”  She had just read it and found it hugely comforting in the wake of her father’s death.  I hadn’t read it but it was a book that I wanted to read.  The next week (two weeks ago) she brought me a copy of the book to read and then to pass on.  She loves it so much she gives multiple copies away to people and simply told me to pass it on to someone else when I am done reading it.  It took me a week to get to it, and then I couldn’t put it down.  I read it in a day and a half which is incredibly unusual for me.  I talked so much about it that Tim downloaded it to his phone and read it.  He read it in a matter of days and it is the first book I’ve ever seen him read completely (he’s more of a magazine guy) in the almost 23 years I’ve known him.

There were many, many things that struck me in the book but I don’t want to give them all away to those of you who haven’t read it yet.  But, I will tell you one.  Little Colton, who saw heaven when he was just shy of 4 years old, saw Jesus, was held by him.  His parents wanted to know what Jesus looks like but how can a 4 year old really describe a person.  As a 46 year old, I have a hard time doing that other than stating hair color, size, and any particular markings.  So, as they would see various paintings of Jesus, they would point them out to Colton and he would always respond with “It’s not right” (or something like that).  But, when a friend of the family sent the video that I show my classes of Akiana, he saw the painting Prince of Peace and was spellbound.  After a moment, his dad asked him, “Colton, what’s wrong with this painting of Jesus?”  Colton replied, “It’s right.”

So, two totally separate events for me are related.

I passed the book along to our good friend and brother, Alan, whose own mother visited heaven and came back and said, “Heaven is for real.  I’ve seen it.  Tell everyone.  Everyone!”  That day is another whole story to tell at another time.  But I knew that Alan would be touched by the book and he was.  He passed it on to Lettia, his wife and my sister-friend, who read it in a day (she, like Tim, is not a book reader).

And now today, another client sat in my office telling me how eight months ago he saw Colton in an interview on TV, bought the book that same day, and read it that day.  It changed his faith.  It put him on a road back to God.

I don’t believe in coincidences.  I believe in God-incidences.  Is it a stretch to say God’s hand is in all this?  Not at all!  He gave Colton, Akiana, and Alan’s mother visions and a desire to tell their stories.  Their stories have inspired countless people in their faiths.  Me included. All of these seemingly unrelated events weave into a wonderful story that only God could seamlessly integrate.  I see God’s hand.