Lessons From Louie

One of the books that I'm reading during my sabbatical is called "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand.  This book about Louis Zamperini is "A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption."  So far I've traveled with Louie through is childhood, his High School years as a track star, his days as an Olympic runner, his first couple of years in the military, and now I'm floating with him on a life raft.  I first learned about the heroic Louis Zamperini through John Ortberg and the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church.  John did an entire series on Lessons from Louie and at the end of the series interviewed the 90+ Louis Zamperini.  In the 150 pages that I've read, I have learned more about World War II then I ever learned in school.  I am so thankful to all the soldiers that served during this time of darkness.

The first lesson from Louie that I want to focus on is the fact that your mindset has a lot to do with what you can accomplish.  I've been learning this lesson over the past few months from the Apostle Paul and now from Louie Zamperini.  Why did both of these guys keep going?  Paul has an incredible list of the persecutions and trials that he went through in 2 Corinthians 11 after he became a Christ Follower.  Louie had an impressive list of his trials and tribulations before he became a Christ Follower.  Why in the worst circumstances, does it seem, that these two guys remained optimistic?  Why is it that sometimes, we can get so absorbed with the absence of luxury that we think life is so terrible?  One area that I will be working on in my spiritual life is my attitude.  I want to be more optimistic.  I want to have more faith that God is in control and my physical comfort has nothing to do with my spiritual optimism.