Read it To Prepare. This is a book about unspeakable loss but it's also a book that offers you a plan--not only for yourself but also for comforting others. This is one of those books that you might not really want to read for fear of some type of psychic pain by association but you will be glad you did.
Lusko is a youthful pastor and it shows in writing chocked full of pop-culture references that serve to reinforce his biblical approach to pain, grief and loss. I thought his chapter on loss to be particularly useful. When we hear about someone losing a loved one it's often difficult to know what to say or do. Lusko argues persuasively that the most powerful thing you can do as a friend/loved one is to NOT speak and just be present. Mourn with them. don't put on a happy face--grieve with them. DON'T say you know how they feel or that their loved one is in a better place--don't--just be present. Lusko also analyzes Jesus' own reaction to the death with the passing of his friend Lazarus (hint: he bellows with rage and sorrow).
Particularly apt, as well, was the Apostle Paul's description of sorrow being compared to the chaos of successive crashing waves (p. 56-7). He relates his own experience with sorrow and the randomness and unpredictability of it where you sometimes just when you think you have a grip on it, it crashes over you and swallows you whole.
Perhaps the most counter-intuitive notion for which Lusko argues is the idea that when you are in the midst of pain is when you have the loudest 'microphone.' For him that meant that he had to use his deep and dehabilitating pain to speak truth and share the story of Jesus with those around him. It also meant that he had to get out of his valleys of pain to reach out to those suffering in similar circumstances.
Ultimately, this is a book that you hope you can finish and then let gather dust on your bookshelf...forever. But let's face it--none of us can go through life without losing people and suffering--this book offers hope..and a plan.
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