Louie Zamperini

I am finally reading Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, and it is amazing. I bought the book for my parents a few Christmases ago, and this Christmas it is being released as a movie. I wanted to read it before I watch it.

If you're in Lancaster and need help picking out a book for someone, or just like supporting local businesses, check out Aaron's Books in Lititz. They have a great selection and give excellent recommendations.

Sidenote: I miss when I could buy books for everyone. Now you never know who prefers reading on Kindles/Nooks/whatever, so I am hesitant to give books. (And I still read hard copies, so I have no clue how to gift books via e-readers, although I'm sure it's not that difficult.)

"In a childhood of artful dodging, Louie made more than just mischief. He shaped who he would be in manhood. Confident that he was clever, resourceful, and bold enough to escape any predicament, he was almost incapable of discouragement. When history carried him into war, this resilient optimism would define him." [Unbroken, pg. 7]

The language of that paragraph beautiful, and it makes me think: YES. That is how God wants us to operate! Now, I'm not finished with the book (or even close), and I'm not saying God wants us all to be like Louie Zamperini. But I believe God designed us to be so confident in who we are as His children that we will be clever, resourceful, finding solutions to problems in the world, and almost incapable of discouragement. Resilient optimism, eternal hope defining our lives. 

The stories of Louie's childhood are straight up W-I-L-D. He becomes an incredible runner in high school, and this floored me too ...

"After he flew past the finish, rewriting the course record, he looked back up the long straightaway. Not one of the other runners was even in view. Louie had won by more than a quarter of a mile. He felt as if he would faint, but it wasn't from exertion. It was from the realization of what he was." [Unbroken, pg. 18]

Have you had moments like that? A feeling of freedom and confidence, and a realization that this is who God created you to be? I don't know that I've had moments quite as epic as Louie, but I've had glimpses and I want to have more! I want the fullness of all that God has for me and my family. Bill Johnson says something along the lines of: if we knew how God sees us, we'd never be afraid to fail. We'd be blown away.

Tap into your identity today ... ask God to show you how He sees you ... think about what you would do if you knew you couldn't fail, and do it. There is more to you than you probably give yourself credit for, and you are created for GREATNESS.

Have you read Unbroken? What did you think?