Bob Russell shares this: “The movie, Unbroken, opened in theaters the week of Christmas. It is still playing in many areas. Based on the best-selling book of the same name, Unbroken relates the story of the amazing life of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic track champion and World War II veteran who survived a plane crash and 47 days on a raft in the Pacific Ocean.
Zamperini was then captured by the enemy and experienced brutal torture in a Japanese prison camp. There was a prison guard there known as “The Bird” who tortured him unmercifully. But Zamperini managed to survive and returned to his home in California after the war.
Once back in the States, though, he struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and understandable bitterness. The veteran turned to alcohol for relief and dreamed of returning to Japan to murder “The Bird.”
However, there’s a crucial part of the story that is not included in the movie, which is directed by famed actress Angelina Jolie. In 1949 Louis Zamperini went to a Billy Graham crusade and heard the good news that Jesus came to save people from their sin and despair. On the second night of the crusade, Zamperini accepted Christ and turned from addictions and bitterness to a life of faith and service.
With the Lord’s help he forgave his captors and wrote a moving letter to “The Bird,” telling his tormentor, “I also forgave you and now would hope that you would also become a Christian.”
Writer Jamie Dean recently reported in World magazine that when he asked Louis Zamperini in 2011 what had been the best day of his life, he didn’t mention his liberation from war. He said, “It was the day I came to Christ.”
It’s not surprising that Zamperini’s devotion to Christ is not included in the movie, but that’s the primary reason he was ultimately unbroken.” (Click to read Bob’s full article.)
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