Faith is everything

Michael, 21 years was the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. He even has scripture memorized! When someone asks him how he is doing, he always replies, «If I were any better, I would have already been raptured!» lol..he was a natural motivator. If a workmate was having a bad day, Michael was there telling the guy how to look on the positive side of the situation. And he gave him a Bible verse. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Michael and asked him, «I don’t get it! You can’t be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?» Michael replied, «Each morning I wake up and say to myself, Mike, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood. Then I memorize a Bible verse.“Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I always choose the positive side of life. And then I give them a Bible verse. «Yeah, right, it’s not that easy,» I protested. «Yes, it is,» Michael, said. «Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or a bad one. And you choose whether God is a part of your life or not. The bottom line is: It’s your choice how you live life.» I reflected on what Michael said. Soon thereafter, I left the service-center to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. And then I memorized several Bible verses. Several years later, I heard that Michael was involved in a serious car accident. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw Michael about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied. «If I were any better, I would have already been raptured! Wanna see my scars?» And he recited a Bible verse. I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place. Michael replied that, “As I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live. Then all these Bible verses came to mind and comforted me. «Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?» I asked. Michael continued, «...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER (emergency room) and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read ‘he’s a dead man.’ I knew I needed to take action.» «What did you do?» I asked. It was then I recited the Lord’s Prayer out loud for all to hear. «Well, then there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me,» said Michael. She asked if I was allergic to anything. «Yes, I replied.» The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, «Gravity.» Over their laughter, I told them, «I am choosing to live and my guardian angels are all around. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead». Michael lived thanks to God, the angels, skill of his doctors and also because of his determination and amazing faith. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to be happy or not. Faith, after all, is everything! «He is my loving ally and my fortress, my tower of safety, my deliverer. He stands before me as a shield, and I take refuge in him.»—Psalm 144:2 Ends