Heartprints

Jesus Loves the Little Children

The words of this favorite hymn have comforted countless children, and even adults, over the years:

“Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so…” 

But a three-year-old child, Colton, experienced it for himself firsthand and he came back to tell others about it.

The words of this favorite hymn have comforted countless children, and even adults, over the years:

“Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so…” 

But a three-year-old child, Colton, experienced it for himself firsthand and he came back to tell others about it.

The book is Heaven is for Real and it documents Colton’s journey to heaven and back, seen through the eyes of a child.
There is something about a child – especially a three-year-old child – that gives the story credibility and authenticity. Colton is a child who is without guile; he has no agenda and is not trying to validate his experience.
His parents only discovered his remarkable journey because periodically, without warning or provocation, Colton would make a statement to his parents so matter-of-fact about heaven that it sounded as if he was telling them nothing more than what he played that day.
“Jesus Really, Really Loves the Children!”
One of the many aspects of the book that captured my heart is the way Colton kept talking about how much Jesus loves the children. Interestingly, it is the only part of his journey that he spoke of frequently, as it seems to have made a big impact upon him.
“Jesus really, really loves the children.” “His eyes are so pretty,” he would say, “and he has rainbow lights all around him.”
Certainly, as a child, Colton had not read the book of Revelation, and yet much of what he described is consistent with the visions John wrote about in the final book of the Bible. While Colton’s descriptions are those as seen through the eyes of a child, they are consistent with scripture.
 Kids Have an Antenna for Truth
For 40+ years I have worked with children and have often said, “I would rather be around children than adults because of their authenticity, sense of wonder, and love of learning. They ‘tell it like it is’ which is one of the many reasons I love kids!” Kids have an antenna for truth.
When I told my 3rd grade Sunday school class about the book, they were completely silent for 30 minutes as they listened intently until I finished describing some of Colton’s experience to them, at which point they began to ask questions.
What will our age be when we get to heaven? How can we tell who people are if they are different ages than we remember them?
Then their questions began to go to a new level. If I am sitting with Jesus, can anyone else? How many people can He talk to at one time? If a disaster comes like Japan, how can Jesus be with all the children at once if there are thousands?  They all wanted to know more about Jesus.
The children’s questions often reflected our sense of time and perspective as we see things on earth because we simply cannot comprehend how amazing God, Jesus, and heaven truly are.
Jesus Took Time for the Children
In the gospels we read about the depth of love that Jesus has for the children. For Jesus to stop and take time to spend with the children was out of the norm for that culture. Children were not to be heard, and often were not to be seen as well.
This is quite different than our child-dominated culture where everything seems geared to children.
 Jesus showed love and respect for the children. In all four of the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, this story is recorded:
Taking a child, He set him before them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them, "Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me." Mark 9:37;Matt 10:40; Luke 10:16; John 13:20
We read another account of Jesus with the children:
And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them.  But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, "Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. "Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all." And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them (Mark 10:13-16).
Cross References:   Mark 10:13; Matt 19:13-15; Luke 18:15-17; Mark 10:14; Matt 5:3; Mark 10:15; Matt 18:3; 19:14; Luke 18:17; 1 Cor 14:20; 1 Pet 2:2; Mark 10:16; Mark 9:36
How Big is Your God Today?
With the boldness and innocence of a child, Colton describes Jesus, the angels, how “really, really big” God is, and how much He loves us.
How big is God for you today? How much do you think Jesus loves you — really, really loves you? Heaven is for Real will forever change the way you think and to see the heavenly realm through the lens of a child.
Colton was recently interviewed on the Today Show.  You can watch it here.