Blind sided. Struck down. Out of nowhere.

This is often how we find ourselves in unexpected tragedy, in the middle of dramas we would have gladly avoided.  And yet, if I’m reading the newspaper and my Bible correctly, we will all have to face hardships of various kinds at some point in our lives.

To prepare for those inevitable moments when the unthinkable becomes your reality, I’d recommend reading Levi Lusko’s book “Through the Eyes of a Lion”. It’s not an ounce of prevention that will prevent a pound of cure, but it’s some clean eating and exercise for your soul that can help train you for the toughest challenges the world and the enemy will throw at you. It’s like knowing where the emergency exits are and how to put on your air mask, you hope you never need those instructions, but should your plane crash, that is not the time you want to learn where the exits are! Hopefully you paid attention during the pre-flight instructions and already know where to head. This book is filled with practical advise from a pastor who endured such a tragedy and has learned how to survive (and maybe even thrive).

If you’ve never listened to or read Levi Lusko, prepare yourself for well turned phrases and references to pop culture. Although the material in this book is heavy, Lusko’s writing style is engaging and disarming, it helped me enter and re-enter into his story and the accompanied lessons learned.

At it’s most basic level, to have hope is to believe that something good is going to happen. That help is on the way. That it’s not over yet, and no matter how dark it seems, there’s going to be light at the end of the tunnel. Hope is a confident expectation. A joyful anticipation. An active, dynamic, energizing enthusiasm. When you have hope, gale-force winds can blow and tsunami waves can smash into the hull of your life, but you are buoyed by the belief that the best is yet to come, that brighter days are ahead. Hope quietly tells your heart that all is not lost, even as storms rage. Our hope is a living hope, because Jesus lives forever. (97-98)

Lusko begins with who we are destined and created to be. He then describes God’s calling on his live and how he came to be a pastor (some really good nuggets in there about calling). Life was good for the Lusko family, even if there were some unexpected turns along the way, but then unthinkable tragedy strikes.

There are a few phrases I personally want to remember from this book.  One of them is “turn off the dark”.  Often we think about “being the light” or “shining our light”.  Hiding under a bushel? No! 2 Timothy 1:10, “Jesus has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” That was the key verse Lusko used in the first Christmas without his daughter, Lenya. He writes, “The truth is, death is what Christmas is all about. Jesus came to turn off the darkness of death by turning on the Light” (54). He then proceeds to describe the sting those of us on this side of heaven feel, even when we know, “Christmas exists so there could be an Easter, so we could live with hope and die without fear” (54). Christ turns off the darkness and invites us to join in that work, first as a recipient of the Light, and then as a reflector into the world around us.

The other battle cry that I hope has worked itself into my own spiritual DNA is, “run toward the roar“.  Lions use an interesting flanking technique when they hunt. The lionesses stalk their prey from the rear, and the mighty king of the jungle goes ahead of the prey and releases an intimidating roar. Naturally, the prey run away from the roar and into the waiting mouths of lionesses (157). This is instructive that instinctual responses may not always be the best option available to us.

When you run from things that scare you, you move toward danger, not away from it. If you fail to face your fears, they will always be right there behind you. You must suppress the little voice inside that’s telling you to get out of Dodge. It’s not your friend. When you feel that panicky fight-or-flight sensation and you want to run away, do the opposite. Run toward the roar. You have come into the kingdom for just such a time as this (Esther 4:14). (158)

Sometimes we seek to avoid trials that are designed by God to refine us. Doing so, we will stunt our own growth. Not all the bad things in our lives are designed by God, sometimes He allows things to happen to us (as in what happened to Job), what He does design and promise is that His presence will be with us. Lusko points out that not only is He with us, but the things that scare us, don’t frighten Him (165).

Lusko masterfully hits one of my own nerves: the fear of failure. The book may have been worth purchasing for a few pages about that specific issue. While examining success and failure he writes, “What you are willing to do in secret is so often responsible for what happens in public” (164).

Throughout the book you will see glimpses of heaven and have your gaze continuously re-focused on eternity. He presents a true north worth navigating towards when the darkness seeks to engulf you. And he warns of the danger of being diverted from God’s mission when times are good. All valuable – no matter what the emotional landscape of your life is like right now.

So if you are in a trial, or walking alongside someone in one, or want to be better prepared to face the inevitable – this is a book worth reading! Do yourself the favor of reading it before you need it.

[Finishing this review as tragedy struck in Orlando – my heart grieves for those who died, their families and friends, and all those affected by this unthinkable tragedy.  For such a time as this …]