“It’s not too late and you’re never too far.” I love that statement on the cover of The Comeback by Louie Giglio. Those words speak hope, relief, encouragement, rescue, and grace. I have been so excited about this book for the last several weeks that I’ve been hearing about it. It came in the mail the other day and I read it in two days. I couldn’t put it down. This book speaks to the heart of the struggle that everyone walks through as we encounter the mountaintops and valleys of life. I’d recommend this book to Christ followers and even those who don’t know Christ, but are open to a good comeback story. My comeback story was 10 years and 2 months ago. God took my broken pieces and turned them into a beautiful mosaic that has manifested itself in me truly recognizing the calling that God placed on my life at the intersection of my passions and the talents and abilities that He has blessed me with.
Pick this book up. Grab a friend to go through it with you. Celebrate the greatest comeback ever as you read how God comes through time and time again throughout all of Scripture and in some pretty awesome testimonies. I highlighted several thoughts while reading and posted those notes below…
- Our plans were changed to God’s plans, and God’s plans were always for good.
- Your comeback is in God’s plans right now.
- Psalm 43:5 “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”
- Your circumstances may be black, but Scripture says that God is light.
- Joseph teaches us that our struggle is always for someone’s salvation. That doesn’t mean we should say, “Bring me more struggle because more people will get salvation.” None of us runs eagerly into that battle. But when the battle comes to us, we know God is working a great purpose.
- When we find ourselves in a similar place, our first step toward a comeback is to stand up in the mess and turn our hearts toward home.
- God is always painting on a canvas bigger than we can see or imagine.
- The ultimate comeback is to be able to look death in the face and declare that Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
- Remarkable endeavors always require a price.
- Ephesians 5:14 “Awake, O sleeper, And arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
- Matthew 16:25 “Whoever would save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
- Psalm 73:25-26 “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
- We know, because of Colossians 1:15-17, that all things were made by Jesus and for Jesus, and in him all things hold together. That means we were uniquely made by Jesus and that each of our lives was uniquely created for his purposes.
- When we have no comeback, the comeback is that Jesus is enough.
- Psalm 37:3-5 “Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.”
- A Jesus-following student who does less than their best communicates soothing to their teachers and advisors about their faith.
- Physical healing is sometimes in God’s plan for us, but spiritual healing is always in his plan for us. And both are always bound up in Jesus’ resurrection.