Free At Last

One of my Christmas gifts was the book Unbroken. It is the compelling of the life of Louis Zamperini.

The early life of Zamperini was one of hardship that led him to a life of juvenile delinquency; however, circumstance demanded a change, and change he did.  He became an Olympic distance runner who competed in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. 

It was thought that Louis would become the first man to run a mile in under 4 minutes, but that changed with the start of WW II.  Like many young men of that era, Zamperini soon found himself among the ranks of the military.

The book traces Louis’ life from his crash in the Pacific to his arduous 47 days afloat on a raft; and, his time as a POW.  As the subtitle says, Louis’ story is one of survival, resilience, and redemption.

After his post war life began to crumble and his marriage was about to fail, redemption was Zamperini’s only hope.  His wife convinced him to attend a revival with her.  During the sermon, the young evangelist, Billy Graham, said something that reminded Louis of a promise he had made.

While he had been adrift on the raft and about to die of thirst, Louis had made a promise--He would serve heaven forever, if he could only be rescued. 

Louis can still remember what Graham said:  When people come to the end of their rope and there's nowhere to turn, they turn to God—no matter who they are. Louis thought: Yeah, I made thousands of promises on the raft and in prison camp. He kept His promises, but I didn't keep mine. Louis went to the prayer room and made a confession of faith in Christ, and said: While I was still on my knees, I knew my whole life had changed.

On that life-changing day, Louis Zamperini discovered the truth of 2 Corinthians 5:17:  if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.  From that day to now Louis has kept the promise he made on that raft in 1943.  This bombardier, who nearly died in the salty Pacific, kept his promise and became the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

When Louis experienced the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, he had an overwhelming desire to forgive those who had tormented him while a POW.  The hatred that had filled him was gone and at last, Louis was finally free.