Freefall to Fly by Rebekah Lyons

Rebekah's life was in freefall.

Cade, her first son, had been born with Down Syndrome. Her husband, Gabe, had the opportunity to go to New York for ministry. Leaving Atlanta and her friends was difficult for Rebekah. The disruption in her life was overwhelming. Her life was in rapid descent.

She wanted to run but God told her to stay in freefall.

She found community, the real intimate kind, in a group of moms. Then came the downward spiral of panic attacks. Something inside her was dying and the descent accelerated.

Rebekah interweaves remembrances with her current experiences, such as reminiscing about her father's nervous breakdown.

Then came depression (she had already experienced seasonal depression in Atlanta).

A vacation on a Greek isle was encouraging and she realized hope was being reborn. She understood that for most of her adult life she had been searching for the wrong treasure. She'd lost touch with who she was designed to be.

She was ready to soar but would go through the nosedive of panic attacks returning, then a miraculous recovery. She was able to uncover her life mission while attending a seminar.

Rebekah feels she has been called to share her struggles openly, honestly, embarrassingly. She wants others to be able to face their pain and emptiness head on. “Women shouldn't have to feel they are alone.” (158)

Rebekah has journaled through her experiences and has written this book as a result. 

This book would be an encouragement for women experiencing panic attacks or depression. They would benefit from reading of another's experience. Rebekah is certainly honest in sharing her experiences and ultimately finding meaning and purpose.

She writes, “Each of us must find out own path to totter down as we seek to live out our purpose. We must find those God-gifts that make us uniquely us, and then pair them with a burden that those gifts fit like a key. When we do, rescue will flood into our lives. And in the deluge, we'll begin to discover meaning.” (161)

You can read an excerpt and watch a video here.

Rebekah Lyons serves alongside her husband, Gabe, as cofounder of Q Ideas, an organization that helps leaders winsomely engage culture. You can find out more at www.rebekahlyons.com.

Tyndale House Publishers, 200 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review.