So, I just finished reading the book 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper. It is an interesting book, mainly about the struggle he endured on his way back to "normalcy" from a car crash that should have been fatal (actually was as he was officially dead for 90 minutes, hence the title of the book.). It was not what I expected the story to be, I guess I thought it was more about his experience in Heaven than the medical journey after the accident, but I still did find it to be a book worth reading.
Throughout the book, and especially in the later chapters, he spends quite a bit of time giving sample stories of what happened in his life as a result of the accident, and how he has been able to minister to others through his ordeal. One of the snippets in chapter 9, talks about being stuck in the hospital bed still, and the depression that kept him prisoner. He was so depressed that he didn't want anyone to even come around and visit, so that he wouldn't be seen in his sad state of affairs. More than that, he had always been the "doer" and to rely on others seemed to foreign for him so he would constantly deny help that was offered to him.
His mentor pastor (Don is a pastor himself), confronts him though and brings out the fact that by denying the help, he is in fact denying the people who have come to see him their opportunity to use their God given gifts of ministry in a way that blesses not only him but those who offer the help as well. He points out that by not wanting to impose, causes more harm and frustration than it does just to let things happen, and let others pour out their ministries.
That said, though our culture is one in which independence reigns supreme, what harm is done by allowing others to help? Maybe, just maybe, we could all learn to rely just a little more on others... especially after major life changing events. Maybe it would do ALL of us a lot of good.
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9 years ago
3 comments:
Amen.
How interesting because I just finished reading 23 Minutes in Hell by Bill Wiese. It would be interesting to read a heaven account too.
Well, the majority of the book isn't about the visit to heaven itself, only about a chapter is. The mojority of the book was his struggle back to some normalacy of life on earth and his struggle of accepting that God had plans on earth for him.
I thought the heaven view of Deadline by Randy Alcorn was more of a glimpse into Heaven, though I don't think it is a first hand account of heaven but that he interviewed others who had claimed to have gone to heaven and then used thier recount and the biblical recounts.
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