The book that brought me back

Nearly a year has passed since I sat at my computer to put some thoughts on paper  that have been rattling around in my mind (a blog post is really not paper but my 20th century mind still thinks of it in those terms). Not that I haven't had plenty to write about, I just haven't felt the urge to post anything.
Until today.
As of today, I will forever have this book  embedded in my mind.
As of today, I will look at all human struggles with a different viewpoint.
As of today, I will try to see the hand of  the Almighty God in situations where it seems He is nowhere to be found.
As of today, I want to surround myself with the kind of people who, despite life's trials and disappointments, still see the glass as half full.
 "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand is the book that got me to thinking this way. Google books summarizes it as follows:
In boyhood, Louis Zamperini was an incorrigible delinquent. As a teenager, he channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics. But when World War II began, the athlete became an airman, embarking on a journey that led to a doomed flight on a May afternoon in 1943. When his Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean, against all odds, Zamperini survived, adrift on a foundering life raft. Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.    

Unbroken is an unforgettable testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit,"


I wondered why the author chose unbroken as the title, when so many other similar words could have been used.  So, I decided to look up the definition.
According to the Macmillan dictionary of American English (yes, they have a British English one, too) unbroken means "strong and determined despite problems"
The Century dictionary  defines it as "not weakened, not crushed"
These definitions reminded me of a couple of  verses in 2 Corinthians.

These last twelve months I have personally felt weak and been  perplexed over some things my family has gone through.
I have also felt helpless as  very close family members have truly been pressed on every side.  Yet, they have chosen not to be crushed,
I have watched from afar as a friend struggles over her son's debilitating illness, troubled and worried over what the future holds.  However, she makes the decision daily to remain strong and not be distressed as she walks through this difficult season of life.
 I have been deeply saddened as a friend stood at his wife's funeral, perplexed at God's plan and weakened from the emptiness of his heart.  Still, he chooses not to despair over his circumstances  nor allow it to destroy him.

The key to Louis Zamperini's amazing ability to move on in his life and experience peace and forgiveness,   despite the horrific events he endured,  was nothing less than the amazing grace of God.
Why did he have to suffer so much? experience such hardships?  be overcome with  paralyzing fear?
It is hard to figure these things out sometimes (make that most of the time). But what he became as a result of his struggles probably would not have happened had he not gone through those struggles.  As much as we don't want to accept it, the same is true for us. The deeper our pain, the weaker we become, the more we call out to God. And as we draw nearer to Him, we experience the same peace and joy that Louie felt even in the midst of our trials.
God promises  that He is enough for anything that comes our way.

Grace.  Forgiveness.  Redemption.   Peace.  Joy.
It's all there in "Unbroken."
Best of all, it's  there for us, too ---we simply have to choose to receive it.