A Window to Heaven: When Children See Life in Death [Hardcover]

Diane M. Komp (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1992

This moving first-person account of an unbeliever's journey to faith captures the essence of what it means to believe in God when life's tragedies seem to undermine our faith.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Every health-care provider and all family members should read this book. It is a gift and a treasure." -- Bernie Siegel, M. D.

"This is a beautiful book about life and death in which children are our teachers. It is full of joy..." -- Henri J. M. Nouwen

Dr. Komp is the first person I've met who found personal faith while treating such dying children. -- Philip Yancey

From the Back Cover

"To love a child who will die soon is to expose one's self to the pain of dying," writes veteran surgeon and missionary doctor Paul Brand about Dr. Diane Komp's work with children. In this richly detailed memoir, Dr. Komp describes her journey to a vibrant faith in God. Schooled by medical mentors who told her to set aside her personal feelings as she treated young cancer patients, Dr. Komp's faith slipped away until she could no longer believe. "If I were to believe," she writes, "it would require the testimony of reliable witnesses . . ." Her "reliable witnesses" appeared in the suffering lives of the children she treated: Children like Anna, who mustered enough energy to sit up in her hospital bed and say, "Mommy, can you see them (angels)? Do you hear their singing?" Or young Donny, a boy with Down's syndrome and leukemia, who entertained his doctor with a mythical feast shortly before he died. Parents, too, bore witness to a God who restores life even in the face of death: the pain of divorce healed at the death of a son; a grieving mom and dad of twins who died within three months of each other: "Soon, Jordan, you will go to see Jesus and Nathan in heaven." Even parents angry enough to "hate" God but who never lost belief. "My own vision of God is more informed by these 'parental theologians,'" writes Dr. Komp. Written with remarkable honesty, A Window to Heaven captures the essence of what it means to believe in God when life's tragedies seem to undermine our faith. It is the story of an unbeliever's journey to a faith guided by her patients, the littlest of God's giants.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (March 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310589703
• ISBN-13: 978-0310589709
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #269,578 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just a little glimpse of Heaven, July 23, 2002

By 

"mattsuh" - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Window to Heaven: When Children See Life in Death (Hardcover)

I first ran across the name of Diane Komp a few years ago in a Christianity Today article -- her name or the article itself did not catch my attention but this excerpt did:

"Today many children with leukemia are cured, but this was not the case when Anna first became sick. Her therapy brought her periods of time when she was disease-free over the five years she received treatment, but she faced the end of her life at age seven. Before she died, she mustered the final energy to sit up in her hospital bed and say: 'The angels - they're so beautiful! Mommy, can you see them? Do you hear their singing? I've never heard such beautiful singing!' Then she laid back on her pillow and died." (p.28) So began the spiritual journey of this doctor, who was self-described as being somewhere between an agnostic and an atheist.

I made a mental note to read this book in the future but quickly forgot about it until few days ago. Subconsciously, as I was preparing for a Pediatric Surgery rotation in October, I remembered Anna's last words. After few searches on Google with "Mommy," "angel," "doctor," and "faith," I found the book again.

I got this book in the mail today and finished reading it in one sitting, in about two hours. (This is rather RARE for me, but the book is rather short, only 113 pages long, and very gripping)

I almost cried several times while reading the book -- not because it was so sad. Does Jesus drive a school bus? I think so. You'll have to read the book ...

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Let the tears flow, March 30, 2001

By 

Suzie (Detroit, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Window to Heaven: When Children See Life in Death (Hardcover)

Children suffering, children in pain, children dying. How can we comprehend? How can we offer comfort to a parent or to the child...or maybe even face this dilemma of losing a child ourselves?? The pediatric doctor, Diane Komp, ever-so-lovingly takes us to the bedsides and into the homes and relates story after story of courage and love and faith. It's the little children who lead us.....away from materialism....back to God..... and to cherish those relationships. An excellent book to offer as a gift to those facing such mental anguish and which lends itself to opening a window of understanding to God's love.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Perscription for the Heart, April 21, 2001

By 

Susan W. Durham (Falls Church, Virginia USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Window to Heaven: When Children See Life in Death (Hardcover)

You will sob when you read this book but it will also give you a sense of peace. Being a health care provider, I have been in search of understanding the suffering of children throughout my career. Dr. Komp does not try to explain it but lets her patients help the reader make some sense of it. Her stories are beautifully and tenderly written with the utmost respect for the dignity of her young patients and their families. I have given this book to my nursing students who have worked with children with cancer. Regardles of thieir religious affiliation, they have found comfort in her words. I wish that this book could be required reading for all medical & nursing student prior to sending them out into the world of practice.