Book Review: Through the Eyes of a Lion - Highly Recommend

I don't often read two books I'm blown away by within the space of a week (of course, The Invention of Wings, reviewed here, took longer than a week to finish in audio form). But, I was totally blown away by this book, Through the Eyes of a Lion: Facing Impossible Pain, Finding Incredible Power, by Levi Lusko. It is amazing - a must read! I have been raving about it and sharing snippets with anyone who will listen.

The book is all about perspective, about shifting your focus from the problems of life to the potential behind those problems. It is devastatingly sad that the author and his wife had to experience the loss of their five-year-old daughter, "Lenya the Lion," in order to gain new insight into the perspective God wants us to have. But, what a blessing we gain vicariously through their experience, their story, and their new perspective. Someone recommended this book at Christmas time and I asked my local library to interlibrary-loan the book for me. Instead, they purchased the book for the library. Now, there's a hold list for the book because others saw the recent acquisition and also signed on to read it.

Early on, Lusko shares a Bible story (from 2 Kings 6) telling of the prophet Elisha's servant, Gehazi, looking out and seeing an approaching army in the thousands. He is dismayed, but Elisha remains unperturbed. When Elisha asks Gehazi to look outside the cave again, he prays for the Lord to open his servant's eyes. Gehazi looks again, but is no longer fearful of what may come because he knows hundreds of thousands of angels surround the army on all sides - heavenly protection normally unrecognized. Lusko builds on this concept by reminding the reader that even on a sunny day, the stars remain in the sky. Though we cannot see them, it does not negate their presence. Our perspective can be so limited by our inability to see the big picture. As Lusko points out, "There are unseen things. Spiritual things. Eternal things. You must learn to see life through the eyes of a Lion. Doing so is to utilize the telescope of faith, which will not only allow you to perceive the invisible - it will give you the strength to do the impossible."

Powerful words. Powerful illustrations. As Levi unravels the story of the loss of his beloved daughter, it emboldens his words further. He talks about lions and how the lioness hunts. The male lion produces the terrifying roar that sends the prey scattering in an effort to run away from the roar. They end up running right into the waiting lioness. Lusko encourages us to run toward the roar. Embrace and pursue the things that terrify you because you are at far greater risk if you run from the roar. His words are stirring and give the reader power to face the fears and grief associated with loss.

The book comes with thirty endorsements in the first pages of the book. There is a reason pastors, authors, and others rave about the book. It is an important message told in an easy-to-read manner with outstanding illustrations and insights. So, get your hands on this book - it is well worth the read and may hold both earthly and eternal value for you.