Review: Breakthrough The Miraculous True Story of a Mother's Faith and Her Child's Resurrection by Joyce Smith With Ginger Kolbaba

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Summary

The impossible true story about the powerful impact of prayer that inspired the major motion picture starring Chrissy Metz, Topher Grace, Dennis Haysbert, and Josh Lucas.

Through the years and the struggles, when life seemed more about hurt and loss than hope and mercy, God was positioning the Smiths for something extraordinary–the death and resurrection of their son.

When Joyce Smith’s fourteen-year-old son John fell through an icy Missouri lake one winter morning, she and her family had seemingly lost everything. At the hospital, John lay lifeless for more than sixty minutes. But Joyce was not ready to give up on her son. She mustered all her faith and strength into one force and cried out to God in a loud voice to save him.

Miraculously, her son’s heart immediately started beating again.

In the coming days, John would defy every expert, every case history, and every scientific prediction. Sixteen days after falling through the ice and being clinically dead for an hour, he walked out of the hospital under his own power, completely healed.

Breakthrough is about a profound truth: prayer really does work. God uses it to remind us that He is always with us, and when we combine it with unshakable faith, nothing is impossible.

Previously published as The Impossible.

Review

Let me begin by saying that this book is definitely a testament to one’s faith. I’m going to preface this by saying this book is definitely faith based and this family's journey is one that was truly inspiring. For those of you who may not be spiritual, the miracle that happened for this family is one that would I feel inspire the strongest nonbeliever. I just want to throw that out there for those where a strong faith is not a part of your life.

I haven't seen the movie yet but after reading the book, I'm curious to see how they capture their story on screen. The emotional impact from experiencing this unfold from their perspective really pulls at you. It’s like you’re right there with them experiencing every moment of angst, tears, happiness and everything else wrapped up into one. Considering the climate today, it was really inspiring reading this miracle happen and seeing not only the power of prayer from their community but this family’s endless foundation of faith to keep fighting even when there seemed to be no hope. This was such a testament to the strength of this mom's faith and the love of her child to never give up hope remaining patient and optimistic through their struggle. It was a really nice read and I hope you consider it to check out.